China is reportedly preparing to recognise the Taliban as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan if the terrorist group succeeds in toppling the democratically-elected government in the war-ravaged country. The Chinese are gearing up to formalize their ties with the Taliban in view of the current situation in Afghanistan, news agency ANI reported quoting an article by US News.
Beijing has openly urged the Taliban to continue working toward a peace accord with President Ashraf Ghani's administration. According to multiple US and foreign intelligence sources familiar with the Chinese assessments, , as quoted by US news, new Chinese military and intelligence assessments of the realities on the ground in Afghanistan have prompted leaders in the Chinese Communist Party to prepare to formalise their relationship with the insurgent network.
The recent US military departure from Afghanistan after a 20-year presence cleared the way for the Taliban to gain control of huge swaths of the country, posing a danger to the Kabul administration. Despite the increasing alliance, Beijing is concerned about the group's ties to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which poses a domestic security risk.
Also Read | Taliban allow safe passage to Ghazni Guv after province falls
The abrupt withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan provides Beijing with both an opportunity and a challenge. The first is that China may fill a power vacuum left by the West, and the second is that the Taliban is an organisation with historical connections to Islamic terrorist groups.
China last month told a visiting Taliban delegation that the ETIM is a direct danger to its national security and territorial integrity, and that combatting the ETIM is a shared duty for the international community.
This message was conveyed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a meeting with the Head of the Afghan Taliban Political Commission, Mullah Abdul GhBaradar, on Wednesday in Tianjin.
Also Read | Afghanistan replaces Army chief after Taliban surge
