Foreign Minister Wang Yi Says World Must Support Transition In Afghanistan, Taliban Says China Can Contribute

JAKARTA - China said the international community should guide and support Afghanistan during the transition of government, instead of putting more pressure on it.

This was conveyed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a telephone conversation with British Foreign Minister Dominis Raab on Thursday local time.

The situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have reclaimed power 20 years after being forced out by the US-led invasion, remains unstable and uncertain, Wang was quoted as saying by China's Foreign Ministry.

"The international community should encourage and guide it in a positive direction rather than apply more pressure which will be conducive to stabilizing the situation," Foreign Minister Wang Yi added, according to a ministry statement by telephone, citing Reuters Friday, Aug. 20.

China has not officially recognized the Taliban as the new ruler, but Wang last month hosted Mullah Baradar, a top Afghan official in Tianjin and said the Taliban were expected to play an important role in Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction process. Read more

In a telephone conversation with the British Foreign Minister, Wang also said the international community should not use Afghanistan as a geopolitical battleground, but should respect its independence and the will of its people, the foreign ministry statement continued.

China has consistently rejected foreign criticism of its own system, and has generally rejected international pressure on other countries as interfering.

Separately, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Thursday China could contribute to the future development of Afghanistan, Chinese state media reported Suhail Shaheen made the statement in an interview with Chinese state television CGTN.

In an interview with Tian Wei of CGTN, Suhail Shaheen said they have been fighting for the past 20 years on behalf of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan or Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Suhail Shaheen also said that his party was still in deliberations with the delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, with the leadership council and new government structure to be announced soon.