China: Following the Taliban takeover, China has called for an end to economic sanctions against Afghanistan. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a G20 meeting on Thursday, “Economic sanctions must be stopped. All kinds of unilateral sanctions or restrictions on Afghanistan should be lifted.” Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves are its “national assets and should be owned by and used for the people, rather than being used as a bargaining chip to exert political pressure on Afghanistan,” he said.
He further stated, “China calls on G20 members to actively take practical steps to help Afghanistan ease the current liquidity stress. International financial institutions should also provide financing support for the poverty reduction, sustainable development, livelihood, and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.” The US froze Afghanistan’s $7 billion in foreign reserves held in New York after the Taliban regained control of the country on Aug 15. In addition, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Union have all halted funding for projects in Afghanistan.
Wang told the G20 meeting that was held online to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, “We hope the countries responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan will seriously reflect on their past role, take speedy and concrete steps to ease the difficulties facing Afghan people, and truly perform their due responsibilities,”
Wang called for addressing the “symptoms and root causes” of the refugee issue. The foreign forces withdrew completely from Afghanistan, bringing the 20-year-long conflict to a close. The country relied heavily on foreign aid, which amounted to $8.5 billion each year and accounted for nearly half of the country’s GDP.