China is in no mood to make any positive cooperation with the US on the issue of Afghanistan. This became clear on Tuesday when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi over the phone. Blinken also held talks with the foreign ministers of India, Russia, and Pakistan and the foreign policy chief of the European Union on Tuesday.
According to US media reports, Blinken requested China to allow a section of refugees wishing to leave Afghanistan. But Wang bluntly turned down this request. On the other hand, Chinese media has reported that Wang put all the blame for the current situation in Afghanistan on the US. He said that by withdrawing its forces in an unplanned manner, the US has been instrumental in creating the latest situation in Afghanistan.
An analysis published in the Chinese media has said that China will cooperate with America only if America shows sufficient seriousness towards correcting its mistakes. Chinese experts have said that the US adopts double standards on the issue of fighting terrorism. However, these experts have acknowledged that if there is no sustainable peace in Afghanistan, then it can again become a hotbed of terrorism. There can be such terrorist groups that will attack all over the world.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also had a telephonic conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Both shared their views on the latest situation in Afghanistan. Wang said that China and Russia should together encourage the Taliban to stay away from terrorism. Both countries should make joint efforts to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists and extremism. Lavrov said that the change in Afghanistan has created complications for the whole world. He said that Russia, along with China, will keep an eye on the developments in Afghanistan, so that coordination between the two countries are maintained.
Chian Feng, director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Chinese pro-government newspaper Global Times that Russia and China have agreed not to send their troops to Afghanistan. Russia remembers the bitter experience of sending troops to Afghanistan in 1979 by the then Soviet Union.
Chian clarified China's policy, saying that the US, China, Russia, and Pakistan are the main countries because of their influence in the matter of Afghanistan. But he said, "The coordination of big forces on the Afghan issue is only an external aspect. It cannot solve the problems within Afghanistan and the conflict between different powers. Therefore, the big powers should not play the role of the boss by directly interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Observers have seen such comments in Chinese state media as a sign that China will not support measures such as imposing sanctions on the Taliban regime. The ban has been suggested by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. China will instead follow the path of maintaining contact with the Taliban so that it can pursue its strategic interests.
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