Chinese FM meets with representatives from Taliban

Chinese FM meets with representatives from Taliban
China's Wang Yi has met with representatives from the Taliban to discuss humanitarian and economic aid for Afghanistan.
1 min read
Wang Yi was in Qatar to meet with the Taliban representatives [Getty]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Taliban representatives during his visit to Qatar on Monday for discussions on the situation in Afghanistan.

Wang said Afghanistan was at a critical point of transitioning from chaos to governance, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, as he met with the Taliban delegation led by Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister of the group's interim government.

Wang also said China respects Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and supports the Afghan people in determining their own destiny, according to CCTV.

The talks during Wang's visit, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, are the latest high-level contact between the sides.

Wang had met with a delegation led by Baradar in July in the Chinese city of Tianjin, shortly before the group seized power from Afghanistan's elected government.

In a rare joint appeal on Tuesday, the leaders of Pakistan and China urged the international community to swiftly send humanitarian and economic aid to Afghanistan, where people are facing food and medicine shortages in the shadow of winter.