China says decision on recognising Taliban regime in Afghanistan only after govt formation

China on Wednesday said it will decide on extending diplomatic recognition to the Taliban in Afghanistan only after the formation of the government in the country, which it hoped would be "open, inclusive and broadly representative".

Responding to a question on when will China accord diplomatic recognition to the Taliban insurgents, which has taken control of Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said: It is a customary international practice that the recognition of a government comes after its formation."

"China's position on the Afghan issue is clear and consistent. We hope that Afghanistan can form an open, inclusive and broadly representative government that echoes the widely-shared aspirations of its own people and the international community," he said in updated comments on the ministry's website.

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About Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid's press conference in Kabul where he announced general amnesty to all those who worked for the Afghan government and respect the rights of women "within the framework of Islamic law", he said: We noted relevant remarks by the Afghan Taliban."

China hopes that the Afghan Taliban and factions in Afghanistan will establish an open and inclusive political structure through dialogue and consultation, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, and earnestly protect the safety of foreign institutions and personnel in Afghanistan," he said.

At the same time, we hope it will resolutely crack down on all kinds of terrorist forces, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and earnestly honour the commitment of not allowing any force to use Afghan territory to threaten the security of its neighbours," Zhao said.

The ETIM, which is stated to be an affiliate of al-Qaeda, is a militant group from China's volatile Xinjiang province. It is fighting for the independence of the province, which is home to over 10-million Uygur Muslims.

The UNSC al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee has listed ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002.

The former Trump administration had removed the group from the US' list of terrorist organisations in 2020 amid allegations of human rights violations against Uygur Muslims by China in Xinjiang, including interning thousands of them in mass detention centres, which Beijing terms as education camps.

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The US has termed China's security crackdown in Xinjiang as genocide against Uygur Muslims.

China is also insisting on the Taliban to ensure that the ETIM does not function from Afghanistan's soil targeting Xinjiang as a precondition for the recognition of its government in Kabul.

The Taliban delegation, headed by the head of its Political Commission Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, which visited China last month during its talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had promised not to permit the ETIM to function from Afghanistan.

According to a recent UN report, hundreds of militants belonging to the ETIM are converging in Afghanistan amidst the military advances made by the Taliban

About China's participation in the reconstruction of war-torn Afghanistan, Zhao said: As a friendly neighbour to and sincere friend of Afghanistan, China upholds a friendly policy towards the entire Afghan people. This did not, does not and will not change."

"China will continue to work with the international community to support peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan and help it achieve lasting peace and stability," he said.

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