ISLAMABAD – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday pressured the leaders of Afghanistan’s rebel Taliban group to make “a clean break” from all militants, including the anti-China East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, during a meeting.
Officials on both sides said the deputy political chief of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who heads the group’s office in Qatar, led his nine-member delegation to talks in the northern city of Tianjin.
Some analysts said the meeting underscores Beijing’s warm relations with the Islamic insurgent group and the Taliban’s growing clout on the global stage.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, “Wang pointed out that the Afghan Taliban is an important military and political force in Afghanistan and is expected to play an important role in the country’s peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process.”
as the largest neighbor of #afghanistan, #China Always adopts a friendly policy towards the entire Afghan people. Afghanistan belongs to the Afghan people, and its future and fate should be in the hands of the Afghan people. pic.twitter.com/QAvbfncAp5
— spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) July 28, 2021
China hopes that Afghan #taliban Put Afghanistan’s national interest first, uphold a commitment to peace negotiations, pursue the goal of peace, build a positive image and pursue an inclusive policy. pic.twitter.com/GVQKz2kTma
— spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) July 28, 2021
The talks took place when the United States and NATO withdrew almost all of their last remaining troops from Afghanistan. The military exit stems from Washington’s historic February 2020 deal with the Taliban.
But slow-moving US-broker peace talks between the insurgents and the Afghan government have failed to yield any results, prompting fears that the intra-Afghan conflict could turn into a full-blown civil war once all foreign forces are pulled out of the country. . .
“The hasty withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan really marks the failure of US policy towards Afghanistan,” Wang said. Beijing has stressed the need for foreign forces to call it a “responsible withdrawal” to ensure that no security vacuum is created.
The Taliban have launched widespread attacks against Afghan security forces and captured vast areas across the country as US-led coalition forces formally begin their exit from the country. Deteriorating security has raised fears that international terrorist groups may use Afghan soil to plot international attacks.
The Taliban in their agreement with the US has resolved to sever ties with all terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, and to stop using Afghan soil to jeopardize US national security interests. But critics and the latest UN reports say the Taliban have yet to break ties with the militants.
“We hope that the Afghan Taliban will take a clean break with all terrorist organizations, including the ETIM, and continue to act resolutely and effectively to remove barriers, play a positive role and create conditions conducive to security, stability, development and cooperation in the region.” Will fight them properly.” Wang said.
Baradar was quoted as assuring the Chinese hosts that the Taliban “will not allow any force to use Afghan territory to engage in acts harmful to China.”
China and the United Nations have designated ETIM as a global terrorist organization. The extremist organization claims to represent and fight for the minority Uighur Muslims in the Chinese western Xinjiang region.
Beijing’s action against the militants has given rise to widespread international allegations of rights abuses in Xinjiang. China denies the allegations.
Recent attacks by the Taliban have taken control of seven border crossings used by Afghanistan for trade with neighboring countries. Those countries include Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, China and Pakistan, effectively depriving the US-backed Afghan government of millions of dollars in customs revenue.
Insurgent leaders have traveled to all countries except Pakistan to reassure their respective governments that the Taliban’s progress remains within Afghan territory and does not threaten regional stability.
Wang stressed the need for warring Afghans to negotiate peace arrangements to bring security to their war-torn country and ensure regional stability.
“The Afghan Taliban has the utmost sincerity to work towards peace and feel. It is ready to work with other parties to establish a political framework in Afghanistan that is broad-based, inclusive and accepted by the people. and protects human rights, especially the rights of women and children,” Baradar said.
While the Afghan government objected to the Taliban’s recent visits to neighboring countries and Russia, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Beijing had already informed Kabul about the rebels’ two-day visit to China.
“With America’s exit from Afghanistan and its incompetence” [Afghan] President Ashraf Ghani, in order to secure the country’s borders, neighbors and regional powers will have to place their bets regarding the future,” said Torek Farhadi, a former adviser to the Afghan government.
“The Taliban makes promises of security to Afghanistan’s neighbors, Kabul keeps asking for help. This notion of Ghani, a beleaguered president, is not good-looking,” Farhadi said.
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