US hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan staggers peace process: Chinese Foreign Minister
May 16, 2021
Beijing [China], May 16 : The hasty withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan has dealt a serious blow to the peace process and regional stability, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
"Wang Yi noted that the US's hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan already dealt a serious blow to the peace process in Afghanistan, as well as negatively affected the regional stability," Wang Yi was quoted as saying in the statement by the country's foreign ministry.
"Under the circumstances, China expects the UN to play its due role, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) needs to closely monitor the situation. Afghanistan's neighbour countries must strengthen relations, join efforts and take coordinated action," he said during the phone conversation on Saturday ahead of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Pakistan.
Since the announcement of the final drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban has tried to take over some strategic areas in the country. However, the Afghan security forces repelled their offensives.
Earlier this week, Wang Yi elaborated on China's position on the Afghan situation, when holding talks with foreign ministers of Central Asia countries in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province.
The minister had said that the current evolution of the Afghan situation has drawn great attention from the international community.
The Chinese side holds the view that foreign troops should withdraw from Afghanistan in an orderly and responsible manner to prevent any hasty action from adversely affecting and seriously interfering with the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, he added.
US President Joe Biden announced last month the decision to withdraw troops by September 11. The Taliban rejected President Joe Biden's announcement that troops would stay on past the deadline but withdraw over the next four and a half months.
