Taliban fighters stand guard at an entrance gate outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul on August 17. Photo: AFP

The US was urged to take "concrete actions" to help Afghanistan combat terrorism and avoid adopting double standards during a phone call on Sunday between the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, and US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. 

The talk was held nearly two weeks after Wang and Blinken exchanged views over Afghanistan on August 16, and three days after the bombing attacks occurred outside the Kabul airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday. 

Wang said the domestic situation in Afghanistan has fundamentally changed and it is necessary for all parties to engage with and actively guide the Taliban, especially the US. 

"Facts have proved once again that the Afghan war has not achieved its goal of eradicating terrorist forces in Afghanistan and a precipitate withdrawal of US and NATO forces could provide opportunities for various terrorist groups in Afghanistan to return," said Wang.

He added that the US should "take concrete actions" to help combat terrorism and violence in the country under the premise of respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty and independence, instead of "adopting double standards" or fighting terrorism "in a selective way." 

He also urged the US to work with the international community to help maintain the normal operation of the new Afghan government, social security and stability, and start the peaceful reconstruction of the country as soon as possible.

Blinken said the UN Security Council should send a unified voice to express the expectation of the international community that the Taliban should ensure the safe evacuation of foreign citizens, guarantee that the Afghan people will receive humanitarian aid and avoid becoming a haven for terrorism.

The US planned to have Americans and Afghan partners leave Afghanistan beyond Tuesday, the deadline arranged for the ongoing evacuation, led by the US military.

Wang said the US is well aware of the causes of the current turmoil in Afghanistan and any action taken by the Security Council should be conducive to easing tensions rather than exacerbating them. 

On China-US relations, Wang urged the US to stop blindly smearing and attacking China and expressed firm opposition to the COVID-19 origins tracing report recently compiled by the US intelligence community.