Talks in China

China has stepped into the issues involved with conducting peace talks in war-torn Afghanistan, by inviting Taliban and Afghan government representatives to China to engage in dialogue. For over a year the US and the Taliban, facilitated by Pakistan, had been holding talks in Doha to try and arrive at a settlement which would restore order in the country. This process was suddenly called off days ahead of the Afghan election by President Donald Trump, who said the US would not be talking to the militant group. This came after the death of a single US soldier in a Kabul bomb attack. Hundreds of Afghans have died in wave after wave of militant violence since 2001 when US-led forces invaded Afghanistan.

One of the issues China will need to work out is the Taliban refusal to talk to the Afghan government, on the grounds that it is a puppet setup, controlled by the US. A Taliban spokesman has said that the government representation in China will be unofficial, and not by a formally designated government team. Naturally, this matter has impeded talks in the past and remains a stumbling block. However, if China is indeed able to get the peace process moving once again this would be a hugely important development in the region. The two-day talks are due to take place in Beijing in the very near future. Precise details are being worked out.

Both Pakistan and the Taliban had last month called on the US to allow the Afghan peace dialogue to resume. There has however been no further notice on this from Washington, following President Trump’s decision last month to break off negotiations. Pakistan has kept in touch with the situation and continued its attempts to usher in a peace deal. However, it now seems the ball has landed in China’s court. The purpose at this point is to find a way to open up talks directly between the Taliban and the Afghan government to search for an end to the conflict between them. This is vital to Afghanistan’s future and also to peace in the region. Currently the Taliban control large tracts of the country and remain active in many areas. There are many uncertainties that have emerged after the sudden US change of plan. It is not clear when and how a US troop pullout earlier discussed with the Taliban is to take place. While this withdrawal of US forces is essential to the region, in the current situation it would leave a weak Afghan security apparatus facing the Taliban. There is therefore a lot to be worked out, and we can only hope Beijing will succeed in achieving its aim.