Why Beijing is inching closer to the Taliban

Open this photo in gallery: China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan Zhao Sheng shakes hand with Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund, left, during the recognition ceremony at the Presidential Palace, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 13.The Associated Press Ruchi Kumar is an Indian journalist based in Mumbai who covers South Asia. On Sept. 13, for the first time since taking over Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban welcomed a new ambassador to the country when Chinese envoy Zhao Sheng presented his credentials to Mohammad Hasan Akhund, Afghanistan's Prime Minister. Few countries have resumed even measured diplomatic relations with the Taliban-led Afghanistan….