China hints at giving financial aid to Taliban-run Afghanistan, calls US a 'perpetrator'

In a significant development, China announced that it will provide financial aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and called the United States the 'main perpetrator' of the crisis in the country. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hit out at the US saying that it could not leave the mess without doing anything. He also said that financial aid will help play a 'positive role' for the country and asserted that China always adopts a 'friendly policy' towards Afghan people.

 "I want to stress that the US is the main perpetrator and biggest external factor for the Afghan issue. It cannot leave the mess without doing anything. We hope the US will match its words with deeds and shoulder its responsibility to honour its own commitments in humanitarian assistance and reconstruction," Wang Wenbin said.

China to help in reconstruction in Afghanistan

The Chinese official hoped that the Taliban could form an inclusive and open broad-based government that adopted a foreign and domestic policy in Afghanistan. He further announced that China will play a 'positive role' in reconstruction in Afghanistan and help the country in 'self-capacity building.'

"China always adopts a friendly policy towards entire Afghan people" and provided substantial assistance to socio- economic development to Afghanistan.We hope there will be an early end to the chaos and wars in the country, it can resume financial order at an early date. China will also play a positive role in helping the country in self capacity building, peace, reconstruction and improvement of peoples' livelihoods," he added.

China's decision to extend financial aid to the Taliban government comes at a time when countries are snapping the militant group's access to resources. After the takeover, the US was the first nation to cut the Taliban's access to billions of dollars. On August 17, it froze accounts at American banks that hosted money from Afghanistan’s national reserves, thereby cutting the group's access to the fortune left by the previous government.

Countries like Germany have also addressed stopping financial aid to Afghanistan if Sharia Law was introduced. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had said that Germany provides 430 million euros every year to Afghanistan but would 'not give a cent' if the Taliban took over.

(With PTI Inputs)