Bayan News – Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, stated that his country not only refrains from interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs but also respects the country’s independence and territorial integrity.
The Chinese envoy made these remarks on Sunday (November 17) in an interview with the Beijing International Dialogue Center, where he explicitly stated that China is not seeking to establish a sphere of influence in Afghanistan.
This Chinese diplomat said, “Afghanistan should become a platform for cooperation among all parties instead of turning into a field for geopolitical competition.”
According to Yue, China respects Afghanistan’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity and never interferes in its internal matters. At the same time, Beijing has no selfish interests in Afghanistan.
Expressing concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive government, he said: “Before the U.S. presence, one or two terrorist groups were active in Afghanistan, but now there are more than 20 terrorist groups operating in the country.”
The Chinese envoy also addressed the situation of women and human rights, stating: “The issue of women is only a small part of Afghanistan’s problems and is not the root cause of its challenges. Furthermore, addressing poverty, hunger, and famine is essential to ensuring human rights.”
Despite not officially recognizing the Taliban government, China was among the first regional countries to receive a Taliban ambassador in a formal ceremony.
Additionally, Beijing was one of the few countries that kept its embassy open following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. Since then, it has expanded and strengthened its diplomatic relations with the current government of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, in the past three years, U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about China’s influence in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Similarly, Donald Trump, during his election campaigns, repeatedly claimed that the Bagram airbase had fallen into China’s hands.
