China and the Taliban: past as prologue? /
Luke Encarnation and C. Christine Fair
- 2024
Since the Taliban’s seizure of Kabul in August 2021, there has been significant attention to and debate over China’s ties with the Taliban. This article traces the development of China-Taliban relations from the Afghan Civil War in the 1990’s to the present day. We find that China has consistently respected the Taliban as legitimate long-term political actors. We also find that the Taliban have found China to be a valuable source of economic and political support for its regime. We conclude with a discussion of the future trajectory of China-Taliban relations and the implications of this relationship for the balance of power in South Asia.