China calls US 'root-cause' of Afghanistan crisis, says 'It can't just run away like this'

China on Monday said that the United States cannot simply abandon Afghanistan. Speaking to the media, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called the United States the 'root cause' of the Afghan-Taliban issue, and asked the Joe Biden administration to help 'maintain stability, avoid chaos and rebuild' Afghanistan. This comes at a time when Afghans' resistance forces are giving tough competition to the Taliban, as the latter is planning to form a government in the country. The announcement of a government, if they are not stopped by the resistant forces, is supposed to come after August 31, the same day the US is scheduled to formally withdraw its troops. 

China pulls up the US on Afghanistan issue

Speaking to the reporters, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “The United States is the root cause and the biggest external factor in the Afghan issue. It cannot just run away like this." He added, The country must help maintain stability, avoid chaos and rebuild Afghanistan."

How is the US the 'root cause' of the Afghanistan issue? 

It all started in 2001, when four commercial flights were hijacked, two of which were flown into the World Trade Centre in New York, one in the Pentagon building in Washington, and one in a field in Pennsylvania, killing over 3,000 people. The responsibility of the attacks was taken by Al-Qaeda, whose leader Osama Bin Laden was lying in the protection of the Taliban, the ruler of Afghanistan back then. In a bid to extradite Osama Bin Laden, the United States approached the Taliban but when they refused to help, the military intervened. They removed the Taliban and pledged to form a democratic form of government there, which was indeed formed in 2004.

As per reports, in 2020, the US signed a deal with the Taliban for peace in Afghanistan. As part of the deal, the US and NATO agreed to withdraw all troops from the country within 14 months. Joe Biden, keeping in line with the agreement announced that the troops would all be withdrawn on August 31, steps toward which the US started taking from July itself. Making the best use of the opportunity to re-establish its regime, the Taliban started capturing one territory after the other and finally surrounded the capital city-Kabul, forcing the Ashraf Ghani-led government to surrender. 

America's response

While the situation has remained all intense in the South Asian country ever since the US which had assured 'full support' to Afghanistan, has turned its back.  In a press conference held to brief the world on the country's stand on the issue, President Joe Biden had said that the aim of US troops' presence in Afghanistan for 20 years was never 'nation building'. Backing his husband, the first lady of the US, Jill Biden said that the US cannot endlessly be involved in the country's 'civil war'.