China and the Taliban have discussed plans to bring Afghanistan into the Belt and Road infrastructure project as Beijing looks to boost investment in the crisis-hit country.
China’s foreign minister Qin Gang held talks on Saturday in Pakistan with Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and his Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as part of the China-Pakistan-Afghanistan trilateral foreign ministers’ dialogue.
The trio discussed security and trade while Afghanistan also said it “hopes to strengthen co-operation with China in . . . infrastructure development within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative”, according to China’s foreign ministry.