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Supporters of the Taliban carry the Taliban's signature white flags in the Afghan-Pakistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan, on July 14. Photo: AP

China calls on US to take responsibility for decline in conditions in Afghanistan

  • Beijing stresses strong ties with Kabul and urges Washington to stop ‘terrorist forces’ expanding and promote peace and reconciliation in the region
  • US military commander says the US will continue air strikes if the Taliban offensive continues
China urged the United States on Monday to aid a smooth transition in Afghanistan by accepting responsibility for the worsening situation, as the US intensified air strikes there.

“What needs to be emphasised is that the United States suddenly announced the complete withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

“This is the root cause of the deteriorating security situation in the country and it’s a serious threat to the peace and stability of Afghanistan and the regional national security interests.

“As the country who unleashed Afghanistan’s terrorism problem, the US should shoulder its due responsibilities, take concrete actions to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan, prevent terrorist forces from taking the opportunity to grow bigger, and maintain the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.”

He said Afghanistan was at a crucial point, facing challenges from war, chaos and governance.

“China always believes that political negotiations are the only correct way to resolve the Afghan issue.”

Zhao’s remarks came after the situation in Afghanistan quickly deteriorated following US President Joe Biden’s announcement in April that US troops would be withdrawn by September, ending a 20-year foreign military presence and leaving a power vacuum for the Taliban to fill.

On Sunday, the US stepped up air strikes in southern Afghanistan against the Taliban.

US military commander in charge of the Middle East and Afghanistan General Frank McKenzie said the US was prepared to continue if the Taliban offensive continued.

On Saturday, to tackle the surging violence, the Afghan authorities imposed a night curfew between 10pm and 4am across 31 of the country’s 34 provinces.

What is China’s relationship with Afghanistan?

In talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on July 14, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said: “China and Afghanistan are good neighbours … China attaches great importance to the China-Afghanistan strategic partnership.”

Last week, China appointed Yue Xiaoyong, a veteran diplomat with experience in the US and Middle East, as its new special envoy to Afghanistan.

“China has always been proactively involved in and pushing for the Afghan peace process,” spokesman Zhao said in Beijing on Wednesday.

In unprecedented move, China tells US what it must do to repair relations

Huang Minxing, a professor specialising in Mideast affairs at Northwest University, said the international community should actively take part and foster cooperation within the country to bring peace to the nation.

“More concretely, the United Nations should work with Afghan neighbours, advocate negotiations between the current Afghan authority and the Taliban and work out a feasible plan regarding restructuring the country’s political framework, citizen’s rights and so on,” Huang said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: US urged to aid smooth transition in Afghanistan
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