The Chinese government has welcomed Russia’s official recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
“First of all, China welcomes this new stage in the development of relations between Russia and Afghanistan,” she stated at a briefing, responding to a Western journalist’s question about Beijing’s reaction to Moscow officially recognizing the Taliban government.
Mao noted that China maintains good-neighborly relations with Afghanistan and emphasized that Beijing “has always believed that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community.”
“China supports strengthening contacts between the international community and Afghanistan’s interim government,” she added. Mao also called on Afghanistan to “actively respond to the concerns of the international community,” stressing the importance of joint efforts to support Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development.
She affirmed Beijing’s support for Afghanistan’s fight against terrorism and its contribution to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
“No matter what changes take place in Afghanistan or beyond, the diplomatic ties between China and Afghanistan have never been severed,” Mao continued. “Since the formation of Afghanistan’s interim government, the diplomatic missions of both countries on each other’s territory have continued to function normally, playing a positive role in developing bilateral state-to-state relations. China will continue to pursue a friendly policy toward all the Afghan people, maintain exchanges and cooperation with Afghanistan in all areas, and explore new avenues of cooperation.”
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed to TASS that Russia has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. On July 1, Afghanistan’s new ambassador to Russia, Gul Hassan, arrived in Moscow, and on July 3 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko accepted copies of his credentials.
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Based on TASS materials