New Delhi: A Chinese government spokesman said on Monday that Beijing was ready to deepen “friendly and cooperative” ties with Afghanistan. It comes after the Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday, seizing control of the country.
Beijing wants to maintain the informal relationship with the Taliban that it established during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The ties that were building were to see when a top-level Taliban delegation met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin last month.
The delegation’s assurance to China that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militants eased Beijing’s concerns over minority Uighur separatists using Afghanistan as their platform, news agency AFP reported.
In response, China offered economic aid and investment to rebuild Afghanistan, which has been ravaged by conflict between the Taliban and Afghan forces.
In an official statement on Monday, China “welcomed” the opportunity to deepen ties with Afghanistan.
“The Taliban have repeatedly expressed the hope of developing good relations with China, and they look forward to China’s participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told AFP.
“We welcome this. China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and stands ready to continue to develop friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan,” he said.
Hua expressed hope that the Taliban would “ensure a smooth transition” of power in line with its promises to negotiate with an “open and inclusive Islamic government”, while also ensuring the safety of Afghans and foreign nationals.
According to a government spokesman, China’s embassy in Kabul remains operational even though Beijing began evacuating Chinese nationals from the country months ago, amid rising tensions and an increasingly violent situation.
China has been criticizing America’s hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan as a failure of the US leadership.
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