Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on July 28 with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Afghan Taliban Political Committee and the heads of the Taliban Religious Committee and Propaganda Committee. Wang Yi said that China is Afghanistan’s largest neighbor and always respects Afghanistan’s sovereign independence and territorial integrity, always adheres to non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, and always pursues a friendly policy oriented towards all the Afghan people. “Afghanistan belongs to the Afghan people, and the future and destiny of Afghanistan should be in the hands of the Afghan people,” Wang said. He called the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan a sign of the “failure” of U.S. policy there, and said that now the Afghan people have the opportunity to stabilize and develop.
Wang said that the Afghan Taliban is a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan and is expected to play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan. He hoped that the Taliban would be an important force in establishing peace in the region. He also urged Afghanistan to take any measures against any terrorist groups that try to establish themselves in Afghanistan, particularly the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM)—“East Turkestan” being what most humans recognize as Xinjiang—which is identified by the UN as a terrorist organization.
Baradar expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to visit China, saying that China has always been a trustworthy and good friend of the Afghan people, and he appreciated China’s fair and active role in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban are fully sincere in striving for and achieving peace, and are willing to work with all parties to build a broad and inclusive political structure in Afghanistan that is accepted by all the Afghan people to protect human rights and the rights of women and children, Baradar said. The Afghan Taliban will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts detrimental to China, Baradar said.He expressed the hope that China would participate in the reconstruction process of Afghanistan and play a greater role in Afghanistan’s economic development. He said that the Taliban in Afghanistan will also create a suitable investment environment and their own efforts to this end.
