[ SCMP ] China pledges support for Taliban in Afghanistan, but demands end to ETIM ties

Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells delegation there is no room for links with terror group it blames for Xinjiang attacks

Taliban spokesman says meeting in Tianjin covered political, economic and security issues as well as peace process

China has pledged support for the Taliban’s role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, while demanding that it cuts ties with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement – blamed by Beijing for attacks in its Xinjiang region.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during talks with a nine-member delegation led by the Taliban’s chief negotiator and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in the northern city of Tianjin on Wednesday.