China: don’t turn Afghanistan into a geopolitical battlefield
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells his British counterpart Dominic Raab that the war-torn country needs support, not pressure
- Beijing has not officially recognised the Taliban as the new government but has demanded it cuts ties with terror groups
“Afghanistan is still unstable and uncertain, and the international community should encourage and guide it in a positive direction, instead of exerting excessive pressure,” Wang said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
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“The international community should fully respect the independence and sovereignty of Afghanistan and the will of its people, conduct more dialogue and provide more guidance, refrain from a predetermined mindset and exceeding one’s duties to meddle in others’ affairs, and not turn Afghanistan into an arena of geopolitical games”.
China has not officially recognised the Taliban as the new government. But Wang hosted Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin last month – recognising the insurgent group as an important political force in Afghanistan but also demanding it cut ties with other terror forces.
“The major change to the situation in Afghanistan reflects that after more than 40 years of war, the Afghan people yearn for stability and do not want another war or chaos,” Wang was quoted as saying in the phone call with Raab. “The situation in Afghanistan is yet another negative example, and if the United States does not learn from the painful lessons, it will suffer new ones,” he said.
Wang said China was willing to continue to play a constructive role on the Afghan issue, but called on Afghanistan to draw a clear line from terrorism and crack down on terror groups.