Top China diplomat Wang Yi tells US counterpart Anthony Blinken all sides must ‘proactively guide’ the Taliban

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday about Afghanistan, accusing Washington of using “double standards” in its efforts to eradicate terrorism in the country and urged Blinken to do more to stop the violence that has rocked Kabul.

In the first direct exchange between the two top diplomats since the suicide bombings that killed about 170 Afghans last week, Wang told Blinken that the military withdrawals by the US and Nato members following the Taliban’s takeover of the country “are very likely to offer opportunities for a resurgence of all terrorist groups inside Afghanistan”, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.