China expects new Afghan regime to break with terrorists

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China encourages the Afghan Taliban to pursue a moderate religious policy and hopes that the new Afghan regime can make a clean break with all kinds of international terrorist forces, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

China hopes the Taliban can work with all parties in setting up an open and inclusive political framework, and pursue a peaceful and friendly foreign policy, particularly developing friendly relations with neighboring countries, to achieve reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

She said the new Afghan regime should constrain and crack down on terrorist groups including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, in order to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces again.

Noting that China is Afghanistan's largest neighboring country, Hua said China has always respected Afghanistan's sovereign independence and territorial integrity, adhered to non-interference in its internal affairs, and pursued a friendly policy toward all Afghan people.

"For a long time, China has maintained contact with the Afghan Taliban based on full respect for the national sovereignty of Afghanistan and the will of various factions in the country, and played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue," she said.

In the past few months alone, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted the second China + Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers meeting and the fourth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -Afghanistan Contact Group foreign ministers' meeting. Wang also had close communication and interaction with important stakeholders on the Afghan issue including Russia, Pakistan, the United States, Central Asian countries, the European Union, Iran, and Turkey.

On July 28, Wang Yi met with the visiting delegation led by head of the Afghan Taliban political committee Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin. Wang expressed the hope that the Afghan Taliban would prioritize the national interests, hold high the banner of peace talks, set the goal of peace, build a positive image and pursue an inclusive policy.

"China will continue to maintain close communication and coordination with all parties concerned to push for an early end to the war in Afghanistan and achieve lasting peace," Hua said.