Afghanistan: China to provide Taliban with $ 31 million worth of food and Covid vaccines

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Hua Chunyin, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said the decision was announced during the first meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and that it would be “for emergency use for the Afghan people.” “.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also announced that China will give 3 million doses of vaccine to Afghanistan in the first batch, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. It is unclear when the vaccines will be delivered.

Chinese leaders have repeatedly said China would share its coronavirus vaccines with the world, especially with lower-income countries, and officials had previously promised that Afghanistan would be one of several that would have priority access.

Speaking at the Foreign Minister’s meeting in Beijing via a video link, Wang also said the United States and its allies were more obliged than any other country to provide economic and humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.

For China, the return of the Taliban poses a greater risk than opportunity

Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent capture of the Taliban, Wang said the United States should “assume its responsibilities” to the country by helping to ensure its development and stability while “respecting sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan, “Xinhua reported.

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced the formation of an interim government for Afghanistan, taking the lead with veterans of the Islamist militant group overseeing the 20-year struggle against the U.S.-led military coalition.

Wang called on the Taliban to crack down on terrorism and join ethnic groups in the country.

He said Afghanistan’s regional neighbors, which include Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, should coordinate and cooperate with them to “build a broad and inclusive political structure, pursue moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies. , establish a clear line with the “terrorist forces,” according to Xinhua.

China makes the Taliban

China shares an 80-kilometer (80-kilometer) border with the western Chinese region of Xinjiang at the end of the narrow Wakhan Corridor and has a substantial investment in the wider region.

After a high-profile meeting between Taliban leaders and the Chinese foreign minister in Tianjin in July, Wang defined the Taliban as a “major military and political force in Afghanistan” and stated that they would play “a important role in peace, reconciliation and the reconstruction process. “

In return, the Taliban called China a “good friend” and pledged to “not allow any forces to use Afghan territory to commit acts detrimental to China,” according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the meeting.

As China confronts the Taliban, Uighurs in Afghanistan fear for their lives
Last week, a Taliban spokesman called for closer relations with Beijing in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CGTN.

“China is a very important and strong country in our neighborhood and we have had very positive and good relations with China in the past,” Zabihullah Mujahid said. “We want to make these relationships even stronger and we want to improve the level of mutual trust.”

However, China has also benefited from the relative stability provided by the US over the past two decades. The nation is also particularly concerned that Afghanistan will become a base for terrorists and extremists fighting for the independence of the Muslim region of Xinjiang, a priority issue that Wang raised for Taliban leaders during the July meeting.

CNN’s Nectar Gan and Steve George contributed to this report.

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