Taliban Seek to Formally Join China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 and control vast mineral resources that would allow China to better manipulate the global economy.

Afghanistan's acting first deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar (L) and China's ambassador at Kabul, Wang Yu attend announce an oil extraction contract with a Chinese company in Kabul on Jan. 5, 2023. Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images

The Taliban plans to send a team to China to formally seek membership for Afghanistan in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road).

The announcement follows the Taliban’s attendance this week at the third BRI forum in Beijing, which drew officials from Afghanistan and 34 other countries.