Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Kabul on Thursday for an unannounced visit to the Taliban government that has been in power since August.
He was greeted with a red carpet at Kabul International Airport by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, the latter wrote on Twitter.
The aim of the visit is apparently to improve economic and political cooperation between the two countries and in the region.
Beijing has been trying to build good relations with the Taliban for some time.
However, China has so far kept to the unspoken agreement of the international community not to recognize the de facto government of the Islamists.
Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said Wang Yi held talks with Muttaqi on "a number of important issues" after his arrival.
The top Chinese diplomat also met with other Taliban government officials.
It was his first visit to Kabul since the militant Islamist Taliban regained power in Afghanistan after the chaotic withdrawal of US-led international forces last August.
Taliban officials have repeatedly signaled their willingness to pave the way for foreign investment in Afghanistan's mines.
A Chinese company's project for a copper mine in Afghanistan has stalled for years due to past uncertainties and lack of security.
The Mes Ajnak copper mine in Logar province south of Kabul will be the second largest in the world when it opens.