Five Years On, the Taliban Forges Pragmatic Global Alliances Without Full Diplomatic Recognition

A Taliban security personnel holds a marigold flower and a gun during a sport event held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Taliban governments's return to power, near the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul on August 15, 2026. Dancing to loud patriotic music and taking selfies, supporters of the Taliban rallied in central Kabul to celebrate the government's five years in power.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has successfully expanded its ties in security, trade, energy, and transport with various countries, five years after returning to power in Afghanistan almost as an international pariah. While Russia became the first country to officially recognise the Afghan government in July 2025, the majority of the international community continues to withhold full political recognition, according to diplomatic sources and political experts.

Still, despite the lack of formal global recognition, the government in Kabul has actively integrated itself into the regional diplomatic landscape, and its relations with multiple countries are only growing.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told Al Jazeera that Kabul is currently dealing with more than 40 diplomatic missions, including embassies and consulates in various countries, in addition to dozens of foreign missions and organisations working in Kabul. China has emerged as one of the Taliban’s most prominent partners, managing its embassy in Kabul and cooperating closely on security and investment.

The partnership is heavily anchored in mining, particularly the Logar copper mine project, which a Chinese company secured under a 2008 contract with a declared investment of nearly $3.4bn. In January 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping formally accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to Beijing, even though China does not officially recognise the current government in Kabul.

Relations with neighbouring Pakistan represent the most complex dynamic for the Taliban. For decades, Pakistan was widely viewed as a key patron and ally of the Afghan Taliban, helping arm, finance and shelter leaders of the movement. But relations have frayed dramatically since the Taliban returned to power, especially over Pakistan’s claims that Afghanistan is offering shelter and support to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan armed group, which Kabul rejects.

Kabul has increasingly used trade and border crossings as leverage, diversifying its trade routes through Iran and Central Asia to reduce reliance on Pakistani ports. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan is actively building economic ties with the Taliban, signing trade agreements in 2026 worth approximately $520m. A proposed railway project linking Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan aims to give Central Asian countries access to the Arabian Sea.

Turkmenistan is similarly engaging with Kabul through the multibillion-dollar TAPI gas pipeline project, which includes a 735km stretch inside Afghanistan. Security expert Abdul Jalil Amini told Al Jazeera that anxiety over the ISIL group represents a more pressing motive for Russia and Central Asian states to cooperate with the Taliban.

Iran and India are also carefully navigating their interests in the country. Tehran maintains extensive relations in trade and energy, offering the Chabahar port as an alternative route for Kabul, despite ongoing friction over the sharing of the Helmand River waters. Meanwhile, New Delhi is gradually rebuilding its ties to counter Pakistani and Chinese influence.

Gulf states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have maintained their diplomatic presence in Kabul, though their engagement remains limited compared with Central Asian nations. Ahmed Karimi, a professor of international relations at Kabul University, told Al Jazeera that the stance of Saudi Arabia and the UAE is more conservative this time.

Western nations continue to communicate with the Kabul government primarily over security, counterterrorism, migration, and humanitarian aid, though issues surrounding women’s rights and governance remain major obstacles to formal recognition. Strategic relations expert Najib al-Kuzi told Al Jazeera that the relationship between Washington and Kabul did not stop since the American withdrawal, but they were largely confined to the security and intelligence fields, while European countries also maintain working relations.