ISLAMABAD: China has offered to host a meeting between Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives should the two sides so desire, but refused to ‘mediate’ peace negotiations between them. Speaking exclusively with The Express Tribune, China’s special envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun called the Taliban “one of the main forces in Afghanistan’s political arena.”
The Chinese envoy gave the interview before flying to Kabul on Sunday where he is supposed to discuss with top Afghan officials the possibility of reviving the Pakistan-brokered peace process which had collapsed in July following the official confirmation that long-time Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar had died two years ago.
Strategic Perspectives Through Research and Dialogue
