The Americans had had to negotiate hard for days to get Wang Yi to meet the US Deputy Secretary of State. On Wednesday, however, the Chinese foreign minister granted the Afghan Taliban access to the very large train station. To greet Deputy Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, Wang Yi respectfully put his right hand to his left breast, as is customary in Afghanistan. Baradar then took a seat in a hotel in Tianjin City in the same armchair where US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had sat on Monday. Such protocol questions play a very important role in China. It was certainly not a coincidence. The extremists striving for diplomatic recognition were unequivocally upgraded by Beijing. The question is,what China demanded in return.

Friederike Böge

Political correspondent for China, North Korea and Mongolia.

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It is not the first time Baradar has visited China.

But on previous occasions, such as in September 2019, he was not given a stage.

The meeting was only confirmed afterwards.

Who had received Baradar at the time was kept secret, as was the place and date.

On Wednesday, however, the state media were even invited to take photos and video recordings of the encounter.

With this, Beijing signaled that it intends to play a greater role in the neighboring country after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Wang Yi left no doubt that China sees the Taliban in a central position in future Afghanistan. "The Taliban are a crucial military and political force in Afghanistan and will play an important role in the peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process," he said. Beijing's main concern is that Uighur extremists, with the Taliban's approval, could carry out attacks in Afghanistan or against Chinese targets in the region. The number of Uyghur fighters who have so far sided with the Taliban is estimated at a few hundred. Against this background, the Foreign Minister called on the Taliban to “cut ties to terrorist groups such as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM)” and “to take effective action against such groups”. The UN Security Council classifies the ETIM as a terrorist organization.However, their strength and existence are controversial.

A Taliban spokesman said on Twitter that the "delegation assured China that they will not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against China."

But he avoided the word ETIM.

In an emphatically statesmanlike manner, he said that politics, economics and the security of both countries had been discussed.

In the event of the Taliban seizing power, China would be the most important potential donor for infrastructure projects.

In contrast to Western donors, Beijing would probably not make financial support dependent on ideological concessions such as women's rights.

Taliban representatives have also been received in other capitals, such as Moscow and Tehran, in recent weeks.

A face-to-face meeting with the foreign minister was not granted there, at least officially.