Taliban seeking to establish new government

The Taliban met on Wednesday with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai as the group is seeking to form a new government in the war-torn country, with the international community calling for more talks and peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The meeting between the Taliban and the former Afghan leader came after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country following the Taliban's takeover of most parts of Afghanistan, including the capital city of Kabul, on Sunday.

Karzai, who was the nation's president from 2001 to 2014, has been leading efforts to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan, according to media reports.

On Thursday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on his Twitter account a picture of a flag and coat of arms, and announced the "declaration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the country's independence from British rule".

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that China has been maintaining communication and contact with the Afghan Taliban on the basis of respecting the sovereignty of the country and the will of various factions.

"We encourage and hope the Afghan Taliban can follow through its positive statements, unite with all parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, establish a broadly based, inclusive political framework that fits the national conditions and win public support through dialogue and consultation as soon as possible," Hua said.

China also hopes the Afghan Taliban will implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, curb terrorism and criminal acts, and ensure a smooth transition so that people can be free from war and enjoy lasting peace, she said.

The spokeswoman called on the international community to jointly encourage and support all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan to engage in solidarity and cooperation in order to open a new chapter in the country's history.

Hua added that she had "noticed that some people have been saying they don't trust the Afghan Taliban".

"I want to say that nothing stays unchanged. When understanding and handling problems, we should adopt a holistic, interconnected and developmental dialectical approach. We should look at both the past and the present. We need to not only listen to what they say, but also look at what they do. If we do not keep pace with the times, but stick to a fixed mindset and ignore the development of the situation, we will never reach a conclusion that is in line with reality," she said.

The spokeswoman said that the rapid evolution of the situation in Afghanistan also shows that there is a lack of objective judgment on the situation by the outside world as well as a failure to accurately understand the opinions of the Afghan people.

"Certain Western countries should particularly draw a lesson from this," Hua said.

On Wednesday, various countries called for restraint and peace in the war-torn country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, agreed, in a telephone call, on the importance of establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"Much attention was paid to the events unfolding in Afghanistan. Willingness to contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in this country was expressed," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey welcomes the "moderate" statements made by the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.