BEIJING: On the second anniversary of the Taliban’s assumption of power in Afghanistan, China has seized the moment to reflect on the series of events that led to the fall of the Afghan government, subtly attributing blame to the United States for its role in the current state of the Asian nation. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has underscored the “profound lessons” to be gleaned from the US’s involvement in Afghanistan.
The Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, 2021, following the departure of then-president Ashraf Ghani, which occurred as the US began its military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The subsequent chaos witnessed a rush of Afghan citizens to borders and the Kabul airport. A tragic suicide attack on August 26 claimed the lives of nearly 180 individuals, including 13 US servicemen. By August 30, the US had completed its withdrawal, leaving the Taliban in control.
Wang Wenbin has spotlighted the sequence of events leading to the Afghan government’s collapse as indicative of the US’s military, political, and counter-terrorism shortcomings in the country. He emphasized that attempts at external military intervention, political manipulation, and endeavors for “democratic transformation” are destined to falter, often resulting in turmoil and catastrophe.
US Suspends Cash Shipments to Afghanistan
In response to the Taliban’s rise, the US took measures to freeze around $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank. Subsequently, cash shipments to Afghanistan were suspended. However, a later move by the US established the “Afghan Fund,” designating $3.5 billion from Afghan central bank reserves for the welfare of Afghan citizens, while preventing Taliban access to these funds.
Wang urged the “relevant country” to internalize the lessons from the Afghan crisis and fulfill its commitments to support the nation. He emphasized the importance of utilizing the frozen assets to address the immediate needs of the Afghan people.
Despite the challenges, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) reported extending humanitarian assistance exceeding $1.1 billion to Afghanistan between August 2021 and September 2022. However, a substantial portion of the population, estimated at 28.3 million, still requires vital humanitarian aid.
Conversely, China has provided over $37 million in aid to Afghanistan over the past year. Additionally, in April, China expressed its willingness to collaborate with Afghanistan within the Belt and Road initiative, focusing on cooperation against extremism, terrorism, and separatism.
While China has yet to officially recognize the Taliban government, its overtures toward engagement have been evident. Foreign Minister Wang Yi held meetings with Taliban leaders in Qatar in 2021, signaling China’s readiness to contribute positively to Afghanistan’s future trajectory.
![NEW YORK: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation, on Tuesday warned that India's aggressive actions pose a serious threat to peace in South Asia and urged the international community to take note of India's aggressive conduct. Bilawal was addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on recent regional developments after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in New York to present Pakistan’s stance on the military escalation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the global level. The visit is part of Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic outreach to brief key UN stakeholders on the alarming regional situation. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to arrive in Washington today, where it plans to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal said that he wanted to use the opportunity to share Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military conflict with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the way forward. Bilawal said that the “illegal strikes” launched by India as part of its ‘Operation Sindoor’ were “in violation of the UN Charter, international law”. He said the attacks had targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, energy infrastructure and innocent women and children. He said India had used the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam as a pretext to launch the attack inside Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered publicly to India that Pakistan was ready to be part of any impartial international investigation into this attack. “We did so because we were confident, our hands were clean and we had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. “We expressed our sympathy with the victims of terrorism and Pakistan has consistently and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that PM Sharif had immediately expressed Pakistan’s willingness to India and the global community to be part of any impartial international investigation. “Indian government refused Pakistan's offer and chose instead to conduct their illegal strikes. Pakistan only then acted in self-defence, we never initiated any violence against India,” Bilawal said. Bilawal emphasised that Pakistan never initiated hostilities against India but responded to Indian aggression by downing six Indian fighter jets. "The Pakistani military had responded with precision the night of the first Indian attack and only targeted and downed six planes because we believed those were the ones to release their load on Pakistan”. He stated that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a vital role in achieving a ceasefire during heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. “We’ve seen during the course of this conflict how quickly the escalation ladder between our two countries rose and the concern is that the next time there is such an incident, there may not be time for the international community to intervene before things get a lot worse. That is why it is absolutely important for Pakistan and the international community to continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace.” He said Pakistan’s position was to hold a “comprehensive dialogue” with India that would include the issue of terrorism as well. The head of the Pakistani delegation said that no civilized nation can support the use of water as a weapon and urged the international community to play its part, questioning, "What would be the global reaction if someone’s lifeline was cut off?" He stressed that Pakistan has paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and has suffered the most. “The single largest number of terrorist attacks that take place in any one country is Pakistan. The single largest number of victims of terrorism is Pakistan. I myself have suffered at the hands of terrorists. My mother [Benazir Bhutto] was assassinated by the terrorists.” Bilawal also criticised India for targeting water reservoirs and civilian areas, including mosques, during its attacks. Calling negotiations the only path to peace, Bilawal reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of regional instability. He urged the global community to take notice of India’s aggressive conduct.](https://wenewsenglish.com/storage/2025/06/Bilawal-Bhutto-Zardari-300x180.jpg)
