President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was confident the Taliban would work with neighboring dictatorships, including China.
Asked by reporters if he was concerned China would fund the Taliban, Biden noted the Chinese had a “real problem” with them.
“China has a real problem with the Taliban,” he said, after returning to the White House. “So they’re going to try to work out some arrangement with the Taliban, I’m sure. As does Pakistan, as does Russia, as does Iran.”
Taliban members set checkpoints around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
(Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Biden’s comments demonstrate global dictatorships will recognize and work with the Taliban — even if they have problems with how they govern.
The Taliban signaled openness with working with China, telling the state government newspaper it was “expected.”
“China, our great neighboring country, can have a constructive and positive role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and also in the economic development and prosperity of the people of Afghanistan. It is expected [that] China [will] play its role,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told the South China Morning Post.
But China has repeatedly called for America to help restore order in the country by working with the Taliban.
An armed Taliban fighter stands guard as Muslim devotees leave after Friday prayers at the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul on September 3, 2021. ( HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)
Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call Sunday to take “concrete action” to help Afghanistan under the Taliban.
“While respecting the sovereignty of Afghanistan, the U.S. should take concrete action to help Afghanistan fight terrorism and stop violence, rather than playing double standards or fighting terrorism selectively,” Wang said.
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