China shows Afghanistan ambitions

China’s ambitions to have a major hand in Afghanistan’s stability and development under the Taliban, while boosting its own stature, will be on display at a pair of multinational meetings it is hosting starting Wednesday.

The talks offer a rare opportunity for Russia and the U.S. to come together over the knotty issue of Afghanistan despite their deep differences over the Ukraine conflict.

Special envoys for Afghanistan from China, the United States and Russia, a group known as the the “Extended Troika,” will convene separately from the foreign ministers of China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

“China, the U.S., Russia and Pakistan are all countries with significant influence on the Afghan issue,” ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said of the Troika meeting. The talks will “echo positively with the third meeting of foreign ministers of the Afghan neighboring countries, to further cement the consensus of all parties … to help Afghanistan achieve peace, stability and development at an early date.”