China-Afghan relations: Beijing officially decided to recognize the Taliban government in Russia; ‘The objective of advancing the policy of friendship is called’
China on Friday welcomed Russia’s decision to become the first country to officially recognize the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, as reported by the AFP. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said in a statement that the purpose of China is to carry forward the policy of friendship towards Afghan people.Mao said, “As a traditional friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, the Chinese side has always admitted that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community,” Mao said.After overthrowing President Ashraf Ghani’s government, Taliban returned to power in 2021 and has since imposed strict Islamic laws in the country.They are demanding official international recognition and foreign investment as Afghanistan tries to overcome over four decades, including the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989.While China has not officially recognized the Taliban government, it hosts a Taliban ambassador in Beijing.China has said that the Taliban will need to introduce political reforms, improve security and get complete diplomatic recognition before having a better relationship with neighboring countries.However, on Friday, Mao said: “The internal or external situation in Afghanistan does not matter, diplomatic relations between China and Afghanistan have never been interrupted.”He said, “In each other countries, diplomatic institutions of both sides have maintained normal functioning and have played a positive role in promoting the development of relations between the two countries,” he said.After Moscow’s decision to remove the group from its banned organizations on Thursday, Russia became the first country to officially accept the Taliban leadership since its 2021 acquisition.The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the credibility from Afghanistan’s new Ambassador Gul Hasan Hasan.According to the ministry, the recognition of the Afghan government is expected to increase “productive bilateral cooperation”, the Associated Press said.
