At the end of July, following reports of Taliban chief Mullah Omar’s death, peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban to be held in China were canceled, striking a serious blow to China’s diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan. In an email interview, Kemel Toktomushev, a research fellow at the University of Central Asia, discussed China’s diplomatic outreach in Afghanistan and Central Asia. WPR: How active of a diplomatic role is China playing in Afghanistan, and how does China’s influence in Afghanistan compare to other international partners? Kemel Toktomushev: Indeed, Beijing is becoming more proactive in the region in general, and in […]