The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that China will participate in an extended “troika” discussion on Afghanistan, which will be hosted by Pakistan on Thursday and will be attended by senior officials from the United States and Russia.
China’s decision to attend the Islamabad meeting comes just 24 hours after it announced it would be unable to attend the India-hosted security conversation on Afghanistan on Wednesday due to “scheduling problems,” joining ally Pakistan in skipping the event.
“China supports Pakistan in hosting the extended troika meeting. We support all efforts conducive for stability in Afghanistan to building up consensus in the world,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin said at the regular ministry briefing on Wednesday.
“China’s special envoy to Afghanistan will attend the meeting,” Wang said without giving more details.
China’s special envoy for Afghan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong will lead a delegation to the meeting, Chinese state media reported.
China and Pakistan have been working closely in dealing with the new Taliban government in Kabul, which came to power in August, following a chaotic withdrawal of US troops from the war-torn country.
In September, China’s special envoy Yue along with envoys from Russia and Pakistan, visited Kabul to hold talks with senior officials from the Afghan interim government.
Russian, Chinese and Pakistani special envoys to Afghanistan held another meeting in Moscow in October.
