China Says U.S. Can't Abandon Afghanistan Amid Taliban Takeover
Published Date: 8/23/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
China on Monday once again criticized the United States over Afghanistan, saying America cannot simply abandon the war-torn country. “The United States is the root cause and the biggest external factor in the Afghan issue,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing in Beijing. “It cannot just run away like this.” He called on the U.S. to help maintain stability, avoid chaos and rebuild Afghanistan. “I hope the U.S. side can match its acts with words, take on its responsibilities in Afghanistan and put into practice its commitments to Afghanistan in terms of development and reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance,” he told a daily briefing. China has expressed readiness to work with all parties in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, to rebuild the war-torn nation. Wang also commented on Vice U.S. President Kamala Harris' Southeast Asian trip this week, during which she will visit Singapore and Vietnam. "The state-to-state exchanges should be conducive to promoting mutual trust between countries and maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world," said Wang. The trip is aimed at broadening cooperation with both nations to offer a counterweight to China's growing influence in the region. Separately, Wang said China was "shocked and condemned" the suicide bomb attack on a vehicle carrying Chinese workers in Pakistan's restive, southwestern Baluchistan province on Friday. The attack killed two Pakistani children playing by the roadside and injured three others, including a Chinese national. Hours after the attack, the separatist Baluch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the bombing in the port town of Gwadar. Wang said Beijing rejected any attempt at "using terrorism to seek political gains" and called for regional cooperation to "eradicate" terrorist forces. China has in recent years played a key role in developing the deep-water port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. But, there have been some attacks on Pakistanis and Chinese working for the economic corridor projects. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake