Imposing sanctions and exerting pressure will not solve the Afghan issue and only prove to be counterproductive, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Tuesday as plans emerged to push world leaders at the upcoming G7 meeting to consider new sanctions on the Taliban.
"Afghanistan is an independent and sovereign country. The United States and its allies should learn from the lessons of history, reflect and act prudently on issues related to Afghanistan," Wang said.
He called on the international community to encourage the development of the Afghan situation in a positive direction, support peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan, improve people's livelihood and well-being, and enhance its capacity for self-development.
While the international community is promoting a smooth transition and a national reconstruction process in Afghanistan, China believes it is also necessary to think about how to prevent the recurrence of military intervention in other countries under the banner of democracy, he noted.
"We should not let the tragedy of individual countries making mistakes, only to have the Afghan people and the international community, especially regional countries, foot the bill, be repeated," Wang said.
Commenting on U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's anti-China remarks in Singapore, Wang said what is happening in Afghanistan at the moment clearly tells people what is the so-called rules and order that the United States is talking about.
"In order to defend 'America first,' the U.S. can arbitrarily smear, suppress, coerce and bully other countries without paying any price. This is the order the U.S. wants," he said.
Wang accused the U.S. of hiding behind rhetoric of a rules-based global order to defend its own "bullying and hegemonic behaviors." "But who will believe them now?" he questioned.
