China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would ...

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would work with the US on a "soft landing of the Afghan issue" to promote stability and prevent the country from becoming a humanitarian disaster and breeding ground for terrorism.

Wang also objected to the October 2020 removal of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movements (ETIM) from the United State’s list of “terror organizations" which China called a double-standard. China charges ETIM has trained members to sneak into China and carry out terrorist activities.

The statement from China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the two countries should find places to cooperate but warned that the United States could not count on China’s support and cooperation while impeding China’s “legitimate rights and interest.”

Political risk analyst Henry Storey of the Lowy Institute tells me: "China is really quite worried that the instability and chaos on the ground in Afghanistan, factored with the Taliban's previous relationship, and indeed ongoing relationship with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement."

Here's how China is navigating the return of the Taliban after the US's hasty departure from Afghanistan.

---