China has said Afghanistan must not become a “gathering place” for terrorism again and should be supported in its resolute fight against the scourge after the Taliban insurgents swept to power in the war-torn country.
China has been striking what observers call a nuanced stand on the evolving situation in Afghanistan after its takeover by the Taliban, calling on the militant group to shun terrorism and form an inclusive Islamic government with all parties and ethnic groups.
China is concerned as according to a recent UN report, hundreds of militants belonging to the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) are converging in Afghanistan amidst the military advances made by the Taliban.
A high-level Taliban delegation, headed by head of its Political Commission Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, which visited China last month during its talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi promised not to permit the Uygur Muslim militant group from Xinjiang to operate from Afghanistan.
Reflecting on China’s anxieties, Wang in his phone talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shan Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday called for the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries to deal with the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
“As important neighbours of Afghanistan and responsible countries in the region, China and Pakistan need to strengthen communication and coordination under the current circumstances and play a constructive role in supporting Afghanistan’s stable transition and maintaining regional peace and stability,” Wang told Qureshi.
“We should encourage all Afghan parties to strengthen solidarity, and to establish a new broad-based and inclusive political structure that is suited to the Afghan national conditions, and supported by the Afghan people,” a press statement on the talks issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry here on Thursday quoted Wang as saying.
“We should support Afghanistan in its resolute fight against terrorism, and Afghanistan must not become a gathering place for terrorism again,” he said.
Qureshi played down the growing anxieties both in Afghanistan and abroad about the Taliban’s takeover, saying it has not resulted in any bloodshed so far.
“Afghanistan needs a political settlement through negotiations in the future. That Kabul was taken over by the Afghan Taliban has not caused any bloodshed or casualties currently. The domestic situation in Afghanistan is moving towards stability and the people’s life has gradually returned to normal,” he was quoted as saying in the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday, while replying to questions from the official media on whether China would recognise “Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan” as announced by its spokesman, said Beijing wants a broadly representative government in Kabul.
