The Taliban will seek to rebuild the economy with the help of China

Following the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the reconquest of the country, the Taliban Islamist movement will rely primarily on Chinese funding. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said this in an interview published by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Thursday. According to the Mujahideen, the Taliban will fight for economic recovery with the help of China. The movement regained control of the Afghan capital Kabul on August 15 and took over the country without a fight. This ended the 20-year war, but there were fears of economic collapse and widespread famine. Following the chaotic departure of foreign troops from Kabul airport, Western countries have severely curtailed financial aid to Afghanistan, al-Jazeera's Pan-Arab television reports. "China is our most important partner and represents a crucial and extraordinary opportunity for us because it is ready to invest and rebuild our country," Taliban spokesmen were quoted as saying by Italian newspapers. The Mujahide emphasized that China's infrastructure initiative, the New Silk Road, through which Beijing wants to increase its global influence through the opening of trade routes, is highly valued by the Taliban. The country has "rich copper mines that can be reopened and modernized through China. In addition, China is our entry into markets around the world," said a spokesman for the Islamist movement. The Mujahideen also confirmed that women in Afghanistan will be able to continue their studies at universities in the future. They will have the opportunity to work as nurses or in the ranks of the police and in deputy positions in ministries, but he ruled out that women in the country could be heads of ministries. Afghanistan is in dire need of money, and the Taliban is unlikely to gain quick access to the roughly $ 10 billion in assets that most of Afghanistan's foreign bank owns abroad, al-Jazeera said. Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a looming "humanitarian catastrophe" in Afghanistan and called on countries to provide emergency funding. The severe drought and war forced thousands of Afghan families to flee their homes. Guterres expressed concern about the "deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country", noting that there was a risk of a "complete collapse" of basic services.