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Communication with Taliban open and effective: China
It was the latest instance of Beijing seeking to establish smooth ties with the insurgent group that swept to power following the pullback by western military forces.
China on Wednesday said it has a smooth and effective communication channel with the Taliban following a meeting between representatives of the group and the Chinese ambassador to Kabul on Tuesday.
Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, met Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu in Kabul on Tuesday.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not share details about the meeting, the highest level one since the upheaval in Afghanistan.
It was the latest instance of Beijing seeking to establish smooth ties with the insurgent group that swept to power following the pullback by western military forces.
Earlier in the day, Russian news agency, Sputnik quoted a Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem as tweeting: “They discussed the security of the Chinese embassy and diplomats, the current situation in Afghanistan, bilateral relations and China’s humanitarian assistance.”
Asked about the meeting in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin said Kabul is an important channel for the two sides to discuss various important issues.
Wang described it as “open and effective communication and consultation with the Afghan Taliban”.
“We have always respected Afghanistan’s sovereign independence and territorial integrity, pursued a policy of non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and adhered to a policy of friendship towards the entire Afghan people,” Wang said on Wednesday in Beijing.
“China respects the Afghan people’s independent decision on their own future and destiny, supports the implementation of the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned principle, and stands ready to continue to develop good-neighbourly relations of friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in the peace and reconstruction of the country,” Wang said.
On Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry had said that imposing sanctions on the Taliban in Afghanistan will prove counterproductive, and had urged the international community to support chances for positive developments in the country.
“Imposing sanctions and pressure at every turn cannot solve the problem and will only be counterproductive,” spokesperson Wang had said.
Meanwhile, senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, has stressed on the political settlement of the turmoil in Afghanistan.
Attending the 11th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Meeting of National Security Advisers on Tuesday via video link at the invitation of India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Yang stressed that political settlement is the only way out
“The international community should respect the will and choice of the Afghan people and encourage Afghanistan to build a broad and inclusive political structure that suits its national conditions,” Yang was quoted as saying by Chinese state media.
“Efforts must be made to fight terrorism in all its forms, and Afghanistan must never again become a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces,” Yang noted.
Commenting on the Taliban’s relationship with China, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid recently told national broadcaster CGTN: “We want good relations with China and all countries and we are looking for economic relations and friendly relations with China.”
