China appoints first envoy to Afghanistan since Taliban takeover

KABUL – China has formally appointed an ambassador to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban regained power in the war-hit country in 2021. 

Taliban administration’s deputy spokesman, Bilal Karimi, confirmed the development in a statement. He said the new Chinese ambassador Zhao Xing had presented his credentials to the Taliban’s prime minister in Kabul on Wednesday.

He said, “Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” had accepted the credentials during a ceremony in Kabul.  

He also confirmed that Xing was the first ambassador appointed in Kabul by Beijing since August 2021 when the Taliban toppled the Ashraf Ghani-led government. 

China’s previous ambassador to Afghanistan, Wang Yu, took up the post in 2019 and his tenure ended last month. 

China is yet to officially announce the appointment of the ambassador.