Report: China Ready To Recognize Taliban If Kabul Falls

China is reportedly prepared to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan if it topples the capital of Kabul — a possibility that could be days away.

Beijing has publicly pressured the Taliban to continue working toward a peace agreement with President Ashraf Ghani’s government – an outcome Beijing appears to prefer and that Washington has pressed.

But according to U.S. News and World Report, which cited unnamed U.S. and foreign intelligence sources, new Chinese military and intelligence assessments of Afghanistan have prompted leaders in the Chinese Communist Party to prepare to formalize their relationship with the insurgent network rather than work toward a peace agreement with President Ashraf Ghani’s government.

The move comes as the Taliban has now overrun 10 major provincial capitals, including one near Kabul, the news outlet noted, adding it would also undermine U.S. attempts to pressure the Taliban to return to diplomatic negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

Read more at NEWSMAX.

{Matzav.com}