China repeats warning to citizens to leave Afghanistan days after welcoming Taliban for talks
- The foreign ministry tells Chinese nationals to leave as soon as possible citing the deteriorating security situation
- China and the Taliban have been working to strengthen ties, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcoming the group’s co-founder this week
A notice published on the official WeChat account of the department of consular affairs urged Chinese citizens to evacuate as soon as possible, adding that they have to bear the responsibility on their own if they do not.
“Currently, the security situation in Afghanistan has further deteriorated … If Chinese citizens insist on staying in Afghanistan, they will face extremely high security risks, and all the consequences will be borne by themselves,” the notice said.
This was the second warning issued this month. On July 7, the department told Chinese citizens to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible and said it would provide the necessary assistance.
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“Infected and asymptomatic [Covid-19] patients were detected among the recent returnees back to China, and relevant personnel were placed under strict quarantine or given treatment,” the notice said.
“For individual Chinese citizens who voluntarily stay in Afghanistan, the Chinese embassy has help those in need of vaccinations and will continue to provide the necessary assistance.”