South China Morning Post reports:

After two decades of the United States’ costly and bloody efforts to support the Afghan government, the Taliban has retaken control of the country in stunning fashion, posing new risks – and opportunities – for neighbouring China.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that China “respects the wishes and choices of the Afghan people”, and hoped the Taliban’s declarations that it would transition the country under an “open, inclusive Islamic government” and ensure the safety of Afghan citizens and foreign missions would be carried out accordingly.

“China expects these statements to be implemented to ensure the situation in Afghanistan achieves a smooth transition, curbs all kinds of terrorist and criminal activities, and allows the Afghan people to be far away from war and to rebuild their beautiful homeland,” she said.

For Beijing, the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the capital Kabul and presidential palace on Monday raises fears that turmoil and instability could spill over into its highly sensitive, western Xinjiang region, and also hurt its strategic investments under the sweeping Belt and Road Initiative.

But the dramatic collapse of the Afghan government comes with devastating losses for the US – increasingly a strategic rival for China – as its nearly 20-year war ends as it began with Taliban rule and the sight of helicopters evacuating its diplomats in an unmistakable parallel with its withdrawal from Saigon in 1975. [Continue reading…]