China says it 'Will recognise Taliban only after govt is formed' amid Afghanistan crisis

China on Wednesday said that it is will be deciding on extending diplomatic recognition to the Taliban only after the government is formed in the war-torn country. China, which has previously stated it would develop "friendly and cooperative" relations in Afghanistan, said on Wednesday that it hopes the future bilateral ties between the nations would be “open, inclusive and broadly representative". Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told the media briefing on Wednesday that, “China’s position on the Afghan issue is consistent and clear” while answering a question about when Beijing would facilitate diplomatic recognition to the Taliban.

“If we have to recognise a government, the first thing is that we will need to wait until the government is formed," he said.

“We hope there will be an open, inclusive and broadly representative regime in Afghanistan. Only after that, we will come to the question of diplomatic recognition," he said.

Zhao also reiterated that China supports forming of an “open and inclusive” government in Afghanistan with the consultations of other factions. The Chinese government official said that the insurgents must comply with their pledge of not permitting any terrorist forces especially the Uygur militant group from Xinjiang province, called the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). He even weighed in on the first press conference of the militant group where Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that general amnesty would be provided to Afghan government officials and rights of the women will be respected “within the framework of Islamic law.”

Over Mujahid’s remarks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “We have noted the statement from the Afghan Taliban. We hope it will work with other factions at home through dialogue and consultation and establish an inclusive and open political framework and adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policy and ensure that personnel and institutions of other countries in Afghanistan will be safe.”

“At the same time, we hope the Afghan Taliban will firmly fight the terrorist forces including the ETIM and earnestly implement its commitment not to allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in terrorist acts detrimental to China,” he said. ETIM is reportedly stated to be an affiliate of Al-Qaeda and is a militant group in China’s Xinjiang province. Zhao also took a jibe on the United States by indirectly saying that "some countries' military intervention" has undermined the territorial integrity of the "relevant country."

China on developing 'friendly' relations with Taliban

Earlier, in stark contrast to the usual response of the government of evacuating citizens or worrying for their safety, China has said that it is ready to enhance “friendly and cooperative” relations with Afghanistan after the Taliban re-conquered the country. Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the insurgents, even as the United States ordered the withdrawal of its troops. On August 15, China said it “welcomed” the chance to elevate ties with Afghanistan.

"The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their hope to develop good relations with China, and that they look forward to China's participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.

"We welcome this. China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and is willing to continue to develop... friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan."

Image: AP