China reiterated its call for responsible withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, saying the draw down should not create a vacuum which can be used by terrorist groups to flourish in the war-torn country.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, on Tuesday at a press conference said: “Foreign troops should withdraw in an orderly and responsible way so that the situation in Afghanistan will experience a steady transition with no security vacuum for terrorist forces to seize upon and expand themselves.”
“China welcomes the signing of this agreement between the US and Taliban, which we believe will play a positive role in promoting a political settlement of the Afghan issue,” said Zhao Lijian, adding that “China firmly supports a broad and inclusive peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.”
He also said that China hopes that the agreement between the US and the Taliban will enable the seed of peace to take root in Afghanistan.
On Saturday, US peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder of Taliban, signed the peace agreement at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha, Qatar following 18 months of negotiations.
There are currently about 13,000 US troops in Afghanistan, which will be reduced to 8,600 within 135 days according to the plan, if conditions are met, US officials say.
China calls on the Taliban and other parties in Afghanistan to act upon this opportunity and launch intra-Afghan negotiations at an early date so that they can together make political and security plans that are acceptable to all and contribute to the realization of enduring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
“China stands ready to work with the international community and to continue to offer our support and assistance to the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan,” he promised.
