Yet despite their differences, the Chinese Communist Party and the Taliban may soon find themselves working together, at least tentatively. Following the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban is again resurgent , taking control of great swathes of the country. The Islamist group is already planing for such a future, with a Taliban spokesman telling the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post earlier this week that China was a "welcome friend," and conversations over reconstruction should begin "as soon as possible." The possibility of the Chinese government cooperating with the Taliban in a post-US Afghanistan is not as unlikely as it may first appear. Nor is China averse to dealing with the Taliban, having publicly welcomed the militant group to Beijing in September 2019 for peace talks.

Source: CNN July 14, 2021 06:11 UTC