China says ‘willing to develop friendly relations with Taliban in Afghanistan'

According to AFP, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that the ‘country respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and is willing to continue to develop friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan’.

Earlier today, the Taliban declared war in Afghanistan ‘over’ after the group took control of the presidential palace in Kabul.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem in an interview with Al Jazeera TV said, "Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years".

“Thanks to God, the war is over in the country,” he added.

The spokesman further added, “We have reached what we were seeking, which is the freedom of our country and the independence of our people”.

"We will not allow anyone to use our lands to target anyone, and we do not want to harm others," he added.

Spokesperson Mohammed Naeem stated that the Taliban would clarify the type of the government and the rule that will prevail soon.

Talking about international relations, Mohammed Naeem said that the organisation seeks to maintain peaceful communication with foreign countries.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the Islamist militants entered the city, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, while hundreds of Afghans desperate to leave flooded Kabul airport.

The Taliban spokesperson further indicated that the organisation was willing to engage in dialogue with Afghan figures and grant them protection.

It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after lightning sweep that ended in Kabul.