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According to state broadcaster CGTN, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, where China was hosting two days of consultations on Afghanistan.
Their meeting was not mentioned in the report in any other way.
Mr. Lavrov had arrived in China earlier for talks with representatives from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, which were to be hosted by Mr. Wang.
According to a US State Department official, Tom West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, would attend a separate conference at the same site as the so-called Extended Troika: China, Russia, and the United States plus Pakistan.
Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Wang are not present for this meeting.
The meetings take place against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, exacerbated by a financial aid halt following the Taliban’s takeover when US-led soldiers left in August.
They also came as a result of widespread condemnation of the Taliban’s last-minute decision to allow females to attend public high schools, which has caused concern among funders ahead of a critical assistance donors conference.
The decision to keep the restriction in place forced US officials to abandon meetings with the Taliban in Doha, with the State Department warning that the decision may be “a possible turning point in our engagement” with the terrorists.
According to a State Department official, the US feels it shares an interest with the other Extended Troika members in the Taliban following through on their promises to form an inclusive government, cooperate on counterterrorism, and restore the Afghan economy.
Mr Wang visited Kabul last week, where he met with acting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss political and economic connections, including the possibility of Afghanistan participating in China’s Belt and Road infrastructure programme, according to the Afghan foreign ministry.
