Wang Yi Talks with Secretary Blinken on Afghanistan

Aug. 29, 2021 (EIRNS)—China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone discussion with U.S. Secretary or State Tony Blinken, at the Secretary’s request, today, on the situation in Afghanistan. Blinken told Wang Yi that now that the U.S. and NATO forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan, the UN Security Council should, with a clear and unified voice, issue a statement saying that the Taliban should live up to their commitments, indicating that the international community expects the Taliban to ensure the safe evacuation of foreign citizens, ensure that the Afghan people receive humanitarian assistance, and ensure that the Afghan people’s territory cannot be the source of terrorist attacks, nor a safe haven for terrorism.

Wang Yi said that the domestic situation in Afghanistan has undergone fundamental changes, and it is necessary for all parties to contact the Taliban and actively guide them. In particular, the United States needs to work with the international community to provide Afghanistan with urgently needed economic, livelihood, and humanitarian assistance to help the new Afghan regime maintain the normal operation of government institutions, maintain public security and stability, curb currency depreciation and price increases, and embark on the road of peaceful reconstruction as soon as possible, according to a statement posted to the Foreign Ministry site.

Recent events have proven that not all terrorist forces in Afghanistan have been suppressed, Wang said. The U.S./NATO hasty withdrawal of troops is likely to provide opportunities for various terrorist organizations to make a comeback. The U.S. should take concrete actions to help Afghanistan stop terrorism on the premise of respecting the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan, and should not engage in double standards or selectively fighting terrorism. “Any action to be taken by the UNSC should contribute to easing tensions instead of exacerbating them, and contribute to a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan rather than a return to turmoil,” said the Foreign Ministry statement.

Regarding China-U.S. relations, Wang Yi said that in the recent communication between China and the U.S. on issues such as Afghanistan and climate change, dialogue is better than confrontation, and cooperation is better than conflict. China will consider how to engage with the U.S., based on the U.S. attitude towards China. If the United States also hopes that Sino-U.S. relations will be back on track, it should stop slandering and attacking China and harming China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Wang Yi said that China firmly opposes the so-called investigation report on COVID-19 origins tracing concocted by the U.S. intelligence agencies recently. Political tracing is the political burden left by the former U.S. government. The sooner the U.S. side unloads this burden, the more it helps to get out of the current predicament. “Blinken said the United States has no intention of blaming any country for the origins tracing of COVID-19. As major countries, both the United States and China have responsibilities to provide all necessary information, thoroughly investigate the origins of the virus and avoid the recurrence of a pandemic. The United States is willing to stay in touch with China in this regard,” said the statement.

The State Department one-sentence readout, attributed to spokesman Ned Price, said only that the two spoke “about the importance of the international community holding the Taliban accountable for the public commitments they have made regarding the safe passage and freedom to travel for Afghans and foreign nationals.”