Samuel Case, FISM News
As the Taliban establishes its control in Afghanistan, the West is condemning the brutality of the terrorist organization, but the Islamist insurgence may find a companion elsewhere in Communist China, which shares a 47-mile border with the country.
On Monday Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made positive mention of the terrorist group, saying that China had a “friendly and cooperative” relationship with the Taliban. Hua described the growing partnership saying:
The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their hope to develop good relations with China, and that they look forward to China’s participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan.
According to the New York Post, China “has long feared Afghanistan could become a staging point for minority Uyghur separatists in the border region of Xinjiang,” but last month “a top-level Taliban delegation” assured China this would not happen. “In exchange, China offered economic support and investment for the country’s reconstruction,” the Post reports.
China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi has described the Taliban as “a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan and is expected to play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation, and reconstruction in Afghanistan.”
The South China Morning Post reports that while the American flag was taken down at the U.S. embassy, the Chinese embassy remains fully intact. Likewise the Russian embassy remains in operation, with reports circulating that Russian ambassador, Dmitry Zhirnov, will meet the Taliban on Tuesday. Zhirnov said the terrorist group has assured that “not a single hair will fall from the heads” of Russian diplomats.