China pledges $31 million in emergency support to Afghanistan

China has offered $31m USD worth of aid to Afghanistan, as the nation transitions into Taliban control

The funding will pay for necessities including food supplies and coronavirus vaccines.

China’s financial aid comes as Beijing stated just weeks ago that it was ‘ready to maintain communication’ with the new Taliban government.

Beijing added further that the latest establishment of new government is a “necessary step to restore order” in Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s interim cabinet was announced last week, with the country declared an “Islamic Emirate”

The latest developments between the two nations come after US President Joe Biden stated that the U.S is still a “long way off” from recognising the Taliban government.

China has been quick to step in to rebuttal Biden’s comments

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed that the aid measures for Taliban controlled Afghanistan in a meeting on Wednesday, together with counterparts from several of Afghanistan’s neighbours including Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The minister called on these countries to cooperate in helping Afghanistan, adding that China would also provide 3 million vaccine doses to the country.

China has also been vocally critical about the US’ withdrawal, saying its troops had “wrecked havoc” in Afghanistan

A state official said the US had inflicted “serious damage on the Afghan people from the very first day of its invasion to the last minute of its withdrawal”.

“What the US did in Afghanistan over the past two decades is a textbook example which shows us the consequences of wanton military intervention and attempts to impose one’s own ideology and values on others,”

said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

Officials of the Taliban militant group have described China as Afghanistan’s most important partner and pinned hopes on Chinese investment and the Asian nation’s support to ‘rebuild’ the war-torn country.

Beijing has moved to establish good relations with the militant group

Even before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, China had invited representatives of the group over for talks in July, offering economic support for Afghanistan but however stressed that the war-torn nation should not be used as a staging point for terrorists.