China says they’re ready to deepen ‘friendly relations’ with Taliban

A Chinese Government spokeswoman said on Monday (August 16th) that China is ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan, after the Taliban seized control of the country.

China says its embassy remains open in Kabul and expressed a willingness to support its reconstruction while other countries are scrambling to evacuate their diplomatic staff.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying did not answer explicitly when asked whether Beijing would recognize the Taliban as the new government but said that China would “respect” the choice of the Afghan people.