China Asks Taliban To Make "Clean Break" From All Terrorist Forces

The Taliban should realise the responsibilities it bears for Afghanistan, make a "clean break" with all terrorist forces and return to the mainstream of Afghan politics, Wang Yi said.

In a significant policy statement on the Taliban which is making big gains in its offensive in Afghanistan, China has asked it to make a "clean break" from all terrorist forces, especially the al-Qaeda-backed Uyghur Muslim extremist group ETIM fighting for the volatile Xinjiang province's independence. In his media briefing at Dushanbe, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that further spread of the war in Afghanistan, especially an all-out civil war, should be avoided and pitched for restarting of intra-Afghan negotiations to realise political reconciliation and prevention of all kinds of terrorist forces from gaining ground in Afghanistan. The Taliban, as a major military force in Afghanistan, should realise the responsibilities it bears for the nation, make a "clean break" with all terrorist forces and return to the mainstream of Afghan politics, Wang Yi said on Tuesday. He also praised the Afghanistan government -- which often accuses Beijing's "all-weather ally" Pakistan of harbouring the Taliban -- saying that the government headed by President Ashraf Ghani has done a lot of work for national unity, social stability and improvement of people's livelihood, which should be justly evaluated.