China Grants Tariff-Free Access to Taliban-Led Afghanistan

Facts

China's Foreign Minister Lin Jian announced on Friday that all imports from Afghanistan will be duty-free, stressing that the measure intends to 'promote bilateral trade cooperation' and 'mutual benefits.'^[1]
This comes as the Chinese envoy to Afghanistan, Zhao Xing, said that Beijing would offer Kabul zero-tariff treatment following a meeting with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir on Thursday.^[2]
Taxes on Afghan exports to China are expected to be waived in December, with efforts underway to operationalize the Wakhan Corridor connecting the two countries.^[3]
Afghanistan, whose huge mineral deposits are largely unexploited, exported $64M worth of goods to China last year, mainly shelled pine nuts, according to official Chinese data.^[4]
Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced that goods entering his country from 'less developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China' would no longer be subject to tariffs from December onwards.^[5]
No country has formally recognized the Taliban-run administration as the lawful Afghan government so far. Last year, however, China became the first to name a new ambassador since the Taliban takeover three years ago.^[6]^[7]

Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. As the Taliban consolidates its grip on power in Afghanistan, the international community seems to be on track to lose the game of chicken with the insurgents. The US is the only country that still stands firm against the Taliban, and this tariff-free treatment that China has granted to Afghanistan is all the more concerning.
Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Globaltimes. Three years into Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the US and its Western allies continue to smear the relationship between Beijing and Kabul amid worries that China may expand its clout there. It's in the best interest of Beijing to engage in bilateral cooperation to influence the reconstruction of that country.