Chinese authorities on Wednesday echoed the Taliban's demands for the United States government to unfreeze assets that belong to Afghanistan while simultaneously expressing its gratitude to the militant group for protecting China's investments in the nation.
In a statement, Zhao Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the assets that the U.S. government withheld belonged to Afghanistan. "The U.S. should give up the path of sanctioning, and should not create obstacles for the peaceful reconstruction and economic development of Afghanistan."
China's Support for the Taliban
American authorities revealed that they froze $9.5 billion in Afghanistan central bank assets shortly after the Taliban took control of the capital city of Kabul. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund stopped all operations and support to Afghanistan amid the takeover. This has forced the Taliban to call on nations, including China, to help with their reconstruction of the country's government.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman's announcement came after Wang Yu. Beijing's ambassador to Kabul talked with the Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi on Tuesday. Wang thanked the militant group for guaranteeing the safety and security of Chinese investments in the country, the South China Morning Post reported.
Wang also expressed his wishes for the establishment of a "broad and inclusive political framework" in Afghanistan. The statements came after the United States government opted to withdraw all American troops in the war-torn country, which marked the victory of the insurgent group in taking control of the region.
Zhao said that the Taliban spokesperson was right in his views that the Afghanistan assets belonged to the people of the country. The official demanded the American government adhere to the requests of the residents of Afghanistan and stop making obstacles towards the country's peace and reconstruction.
Afghanistan's economy is on the verge of collapse, reports from Kabul revealed, despite support from the United Nations. The global organization made desperate efforts to collect food and essential supplies and transport them to the war-torn country, Business Standard reported.
Afghanistan's Independence and Sovereignty
Wang echoed Beijing's support for Afghanistan's independence and sovereignty as it offers coronavirus vaccines and humanitarian aid to the region. The official said that China was willing to build a cooperative relationship with Afghanistan to help the people fight against terrorism and in so doing establish a stable and economic development process in the nation.
In a statement, the Taliban have called China as Afghanistan's most important partner" in rebuilding the country. Early last week, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid expressed the new government's wishes to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a $50 billion flagship program made by China under its Belt and Road Initiative.
In 2016, the first official memorandum on the partnership between Afghanistan and China was signed, marking the war-torn country's membership of the multinational Chinese strategy. However, since that time, there has been little progress due to the unstable conditions in the Afghan region. Most recently, after the Taliban's takeover of Kabul, fears of the country's instability have continued to grow, The Star reported.
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