The People's Daily (October 25) reported that Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is
to visit Qatar to meet Taliban's Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Acting Deputy Prime ,Minister of the (newly
restored) Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi from October
25 to 26. The talks in Doha, Qatar, on October 25-26 were the first high-level engagement between China
and the Taliban since the group resumed power in August. Xinhua (October 26) said that Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi urged Afghanistan to “Master its own destiny, achieve reconciliation and tolerance, and
advance national reconstruction” and also asked the Taliban to crack down on terrorist groups, notably the
East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist group Beijing blames for attacks in Xinjiang. Mullah
Baradar thanked China for its respect and friendliness during difficult times. He recognized China’s security
concerns and reaffirmed the Taliban’s promise to never allow any force to use Afghan territory to harm China. Baradar reportedly added: “For now, women in medical institutions, airports and other places have
resumed their work, and girls in primary and secondary schools in many provinces have returned to school,
but they still face difficulties such as lack of facilities and funds.”
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