China tells Taliban to crack down on ETIM

Chinese foreign minister told acting deputy Prime Minister of the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan that Beijing expects Kabul to crack down on ETIM and other terrorist groups.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has sought assurances from the Taliban that it will make a “clean break” with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a group Beijing alleges is inciting separatism in Xinjiang province, warning Kabul that the group not only threatens China’s security but also Afghanistan’s long-term stability.

Chinese foreign minister emphasised that ETIM not only poses a real threat to China’s national security and territorial integrity, but also jeopardises the domestic stability in Afghanistan. (AP)

Wang told acting deputy Prime Minister of the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, that Beijing expects Kabul to crack down on ETIM and other terrorist groups.

Wang met Baradar in Doha, Qatar, late on Monday in the highest-level bilateral engagement with the Taliban government since the insurgent group swept to power in August and declared the establishment of a new regime, based on Islamic tenets, following the chaotic withdrawal of US-led western troops from Washington.

“Wang emphasised that the ‘East Turkestan Islamic Movement’ (ETIM), an international terrorist organisation listed by the UN Security Council, not only poses a real threat to China’s national security and territorial integrity, but also jeopardises the domestic stability and long-term stability in Afghanistan,” the Xinhua news agency said.

A day after high-level talks in Doha, the Taliban on Tuesday said that the Chinese government has provided $1mn to Afghanistan and has promised additional humanitarian aid worth $5mn.

with inputs from agencies