Speaking at the 3rd Belt and Road Ministerial Conference in China, the Taliban's energy minister said that this huge project can expand the scope of trade and energy exports between Afghanistan and China.
The Taliban hopes that Afghanistan will join this major intercontinental development project.
Abdul Latif Mansour said at the meeting on Wednesday that the Belt and Road Initiative will make Afghanistan an important partner and connect the country to Europe.
According to him, Afghanistan is a country located along Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East and plays an important land bridge role for regional connectivity.
The Taliban's Ministry of Industry and Commerce said on October 16 that the group's commerce minister during his visit to China tried to gain the consent of countries, especially China, to join Afghanistan's Belt and Road Initiative.
In this meeting, Mansour also referred to the shortage of electricity in the country and expressed hope that this group can significantly develop the Afghan electricity energy market in the coming decades.
"We believe that reliable access to electricity, energy security and balanced energy supply are essential conditions for Afghanistan's economic and social progress," he added.
The Taliban's Minister of Water and Energy also clarified that based on the plans developed, Afghanistan will supply its energy needs from domestic sources.
Afghanistan imports its electricity from neighbouring countries, especially Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Citizens of Kabul are deeply dissatisfied with the frequent power cuts and have criticised the limited and unreliable access to it.
Abdul Latif Mansour also pointed out during the conference that the opening of the Wakhan corridor can further expand Afghanistan-China relations. He stressed that the starting of this route will open a new window for trade and energy cooperation.
Taliban officials had previously emphasised that the group would rebuild the Silk Road and connect Afghanistan to China through the Wakhan corridor.
The Wakhan Corridor is located in the Pamir Mountains of Badakhshan and connects Afghanistan to China, Tajikistan, and Pakistan from the northeast.
This corridor is the only link between Afghanistan and the Xinjiang or Kashgar region of China.
