Afghanistan's new ambassador to China, the first under Taliban rule, arrived in Beijing on Friday, the Afghan Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

The move comes as the hardline Islamist group attempts to build regional alliances to improve its reputation internationally and attract foreign investment.

Who is Bilal Karimi?

Bilal Karimi is the first officially accredited envoy sent by the Taliban to any country since they seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Karimi, who has no diplomatic experience and is in his late 20s or early 30s, was welcomed in Beijing by China's special envoy for Afghan affairs at the Foreign Ministry, Yue Xiaoyong, according to a Taliban statement.

Beijing has not said whether it regards the move as a step towards official recognition, but an official said Karimi's credentials will be presented to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a special ceremony.

Karimi praised China's positive policies toward Afghanistan, especially for not intervening in domestic issues, and said the country was a good neighbor.

The Taliban administration has previously said they plan to join President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a set of large infrastructure projects from Asia to Latin America that are meant to boost China's trade ties with the rest of the world.

Taliban government unrecognized globally

No country, including China, has officially recognized the Taliban's administration, since their takeover as US forces withdrew and the country's president, Ashraf Ghani, fled abroad.

Many other diplomatic missions were shuttered and their staff evacuated during the drama that unfolded two years ago.

However, in September, Beijing became the first country to formally name its own ambassador to Kabul since the Taliban took over.

The Taliban previously sent a charge d'affaires to run the Afghan Embassy in Beijing, which does not require the presentation of ambassadorial credentials to the host country.

The Taliban frequently complain about the lack of official recognition. They don't have Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations General Assembly. The seat is still held by officials from the former Western-backed government.

No representation at COP28

The Islamist group has also been excluded from the UN's COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

After promising a more liberal rule than in the 1990s, the Taliban reimposed strict curbs on the movement of women and girls once they regained control.

These policies sparked fierce criticism in the West, exacerbating Afghanistan's isolation within the international community.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world with bans on female education.

Women are also banned from most jobs and public spaces, and girls cannot go to school beyond the sixth grade, including university.

mm/nm (AP, Reuters)