China-Afghan ties: Beijing hails Russia's decision to officially recognise Taliban govt; says 'aims to pursue a policy of friendship'

China on Friday has welcomed Russia’s decision to become the first country to officially recognise the Taliban ’s rule in Afghanistan, as reported by AFP.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a statement that China aims to pursue a policy of friendship toward the Afghan people.

“As a traditional friendly neighbour of Afghanistan, the Chinese side has always believed that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community,” Mao said.

The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after overthrowing President Ashraf Ghani’s government and have since imposed strict Islamic laws in the country.

They have been seeking official international recognition and foreign investment as Afghanistan tries to recover from over four decades of war, including the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989.

While China has not officially recognised the Taliban government, it hosts a Taliban ambassador in Beijing.

China has said that the Taliban will need to introduce political reforms, improve security and build better relations with neighbouring countries before it can receive full diplomatic recognition.

However, on Friday, Mao said: “No matter how the internal or external situation changes in Afghanistan, diplomatic relations between China and Afghanistan have never been interrupted.”

“The diplomatic institutions of the two sides in each other’s countries have maintained normal functioning and have played a positive role in promoting the development of relations between the two countries,” she added.

Russia became the first country to officially acknowledge the Taliban’s leadership since their 2021 takeover, following Moscow's decision to remove the group from its banned organisations list on Thursday.

The Russian foreign ministry confirmed receiving credentials from Afghanistan's new Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan.

According to the ministry, recognising the Afghan government is expected to enhance “productive bilateral cooperation,” the Associated Press reported.