Taliban to host trilateral talks with China and Pakistan in Kabul

Taliban are set to host a trilateral meeting with China and Pakistan in Kabul on Wednesday, August 20, sources familiar with the matter said.

The sources told Amu that Pakistan’s foreign minister has accepted the Taliban’s invitation and will attend the talks, accompanied by Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq.

Pakistani media outlet The Nation also reported that the Taliban have invited the foreign ministers of both China and Pakistan to the meeting, which will focus on security and economic cooperation.

The last round of trilateral talks was held in China in May. Following that meeting, Islamabad announced it would upgrade its diplomatic relations with the Taliban to ambassadorial level.

According to The Nation, Wednesday’s meeting is expected to cover counterterrorism cooperation, regional connectivity, peace, development and trade. It will mark the first time the Taliban host a trilateral dialogue of this kind in Kabul.

Regional analysts say China has pursued a cautious multilateral approach to engaging with the Taliban—seeking to involve them in regional discussions while stopping short of granting full recognition. “There’s actually going to be a formal meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, and the Taliban foreign minister in Kabul on August 20th. That meeting will be focused on security issues, because when Pakistan–Taliban relations are not good—when there are cross-border attacks—that is not good for China’s security interests, not just in Afghanistan but also in Pakistan. I think that’s a big impetus behind this trilateral engagement,” said Sarah Godek, a fellow with the China program at the Stimson Center, noting that past meetings have often been described as unofficial.

At the same forum, Amna Khan, head of the Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa program at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, said the Taliban must be held accountable for their commitments under the 2020 Doha Agreement, including forming an inclusive government and respecting human rights. “I actually feel that the only group that has benefited from the Doha Agreement has been the Afghan Taliban. I think it’s time to hold them accountable to the pledges of reform they have spoken about—whether regarding women’s rights, human rights, an inclusive government, reconciliation, and of course, for us and regional countries, counterterrorism assurances, which we continue to suffer from,” she said.

It has been four years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. While some regional states have engaged with them, only Russia has formally recognized their government. The Taliban have not publicly commented on the upcoming meeting.