Terror threat to China ‘is challenge to our own’, Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership pledges to Beijing in apparent first
- Amir Khan Muttaqi also gives ‘effective guarantee’ of Chinese nationals’ safety in the country
- He made the remarks in talks with counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a regional forum in Tibet
Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership has assured Beijing that it has worked to combat terrorism and regards threats to China as seriously as a threat against its own country.
Speaking to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Niyingchi, Tibet, Muttaqi said that “we have done a lot of work to combat terrorism and we take security threats against China like a challenge to our own”, according to a foreign ministry statement.
“We will not allow any activities that would harm security and stability of China to happen in Afghanistan.”
He also gave an “effective guarantee” of Chinese nationals’ safety in Afghanistan but did not elaborate.
While the Taliban has made previous pledges to clamp down on terrorism, this is the first time such language has been used in readouts of meetings with Chinese officials.
