China slams America for ‘hasty’ decision on troops

BEIJING: The hasty withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan has had a “serious negative impact”, the Chinese state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi has told US secretary of state Antony Blinken, adding that the developments have shown that “mechanically” applied foreign models don’t work in another country.

In a telephone conversation early on Tuesday, Wang told Blinken that the US should play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan stabilise, prevent chaos, and rebuild peace following the Taliban’s takeover.

“The US hastily withdrawing its troops… has already had a serious negative impact on the situation in Afghanistan,” Wang said. He told Blinken the facts on the ground in Afghanistan proved that a foreign model couldn’t be arbitrarily or mechanically applied to a country with different cultural and historical conditions, the news agency Xinhua said in a report on the phone conversation.

“A regime cannot stand without the support of the people. Solving problems with power and military means will only increase problems. The lessons in this regard deserve serious reflection,” Wang said.

Wang spoke to Blinken after the Taliban swept unopposed into capital Kabul and took control of the presidential palace as President Ashraf Ghani fled the capital.

Wang said China and the US are permanent members of the UNSC and crucial participants in the international system.

“In the face of various global challenges and urgent regional hotspot issues, the two countries should carry out coordination and cooperation, which is what the international community is looking forward to,” Wang was quoted as saying.

“But the US cannot on one hand actively seek to contain and suppress China and harm China’s legitimate rights and interests, and on the other hand hope for China’s cooperation,” Wang said.