The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban announced today that President Xi Jinping of China has accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to Beijing.
Abdulqahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed on Tuesday, January 30th, through a message posted on X page, that Bilal Karimi’s credentials as the ambassador and extraordinary representative of the Taliban in Beijing have been formally acknowledged.
During the ceremony, Karimi had the opportunity to meet with Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister.
This development follows Karimi’s earlier presentation of his credentials to Hong Lei, the Director-General of Protocol at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was also accepted.
In a reciprocal gesture, Jiao Qing, China’s ambassador to Kabul, had previously presented his credentials to Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Prime Minister of the Taliban, in a formal ceremony.
It is noteworthy that the Taliban maintains robust ties with Beijing.
Despite the Taliban’s governance of the country for over two years, no nation has extended official recognition to the group to date. Nevertheless, several countries maintain diplomatic relations with the Taliban.