A Taliban spokesperson has praised Beijing as a “main partner” and financier as the group moves to build a national governance and develop Afghanistan’s economy. “China is our main partner and represents for us a fundamental and extraordinary opportunity because it is willing to invest and rebuild our country,” Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid told Italian newspaper la Repubblica on Sept. 1. Mujahid made the remarks as the militant group, which took over Afghanistan in dramatic fashion earlier this month, celebrated the final withdrawal of American troops from the country, putting an end to a 20-year-long conflict. But money has become a pressing concern for Taliban after the United States blocked the group from accessing billions of Afghan assets held in U.S. bank accounts, while the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have each suspended funding to Afghanistan. With cash running short, the Taliban appears to place its bet on …