VOA慢速英语--美军撤离后，中国外交部长接见塔利班领导人

China's foreign minister Wang Yi met Wednesday with a group of Taliban leaders from Afghanistan. China and the armed rebel¹ movement appear to be seeking closer ties.

Wang held the talks in the city of Tianjin. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a Taliban founder², led the visiting group. The Taliban leadership is seeking world political acceptance³ during a series of visits with national governments.

Wang told the group that China respects Afghan independence and territory. He also said he would not get in the middle of Afghanistan's own concerns.

Wang also commented on the withdrawal⁴ of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, an operation to be completed August 31. The action demonstrates⁵ what Wang called, "the failure of America's policies and offers the Afghan people an important opportunity to stabilize⁶ and develop their own country."

China has for years objected to the U.S. military operation so close to its own territory.

Though no plan was announced for the meeting, China has an interest in making progress on peace talks and reducing violence. The Afghan government is in danger of losing large amounts of territory to the Taliban.

China and Afghanistan share a narrow border in the Wakhan Valley. China has signed deals for oil, gas and copper⁷ mining in Afghanistan, although those industries have long been inactive.

"The Taliban are a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan and are expected to play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation⁸ and reconstruction," Wang said.

Wang said China hopes the Taliban will put the nation's and the people's interests first and work to make peace.

Baradar's visit comes shortly after Pakistan's foreign minister and intelligence chief made their trips to China. Pakistan is seen as very important to peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban leadership is housed in Pakistan and Islamabad is trying to press the Taliban to talk peace.

The Tianjin meeting could be seen as a strategic⁹ move against the U.S. But Washington has also been working with China and Russia to push the Taliban to enter a peace deal.

Zalmay Khalilzad is America's top official working to end decades of war in Afghanistan. He also visited Pakistan earlier this month as relations between Islamabad and Kabul reached a new low.

Many believe the U.S. is stepping up efforts to make a peace deal before August 31 that also includes China.

U.S. Deputy¹⁰ Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Wang in Tianjin on Monday. After the meeting, she and the State Department said Afghanistan was an issue of global importance that the U.S. and China could work together on.

Words in This Story

stabilize — v. to stop quickly changing, increasing, getting worse, etc.

pivotal — adj. very important

reconciliation — n. the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement

1 rebel   

n.叛徒，起义者；vi.造反，反抗，反感；adj.造反的，反抗的，反叛者的

参考例句：

• The rebel army is attempting to subvert the government.反叛军队企图颠覆政府统治。
• The rebel army has readjusted its strategy.叛军已经重新调整了策略。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 acceptance   

n.接受，接收，验收，接纳；承认，认可

参考例句：

• The new laws gained widespread acceptance.新法令受到广泛赞同。
• It took years for Einstein's theory to gain acceptance.爱因斯坦的理论经过多年才被人们接受。

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 demonstrates   

举行示威游行（或集会）( demonstrate的第三人称单数 )； 示范。展示； 显示； 论证

参考例句：

• I hope this message demonstrates my feelings to the students. 我希望这个祝词能表达出我对学生们的感情。
• I hope this demonstrates to you how I feel. 我希望这能向你表明我的感受。

6 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

7 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 strategic   

adj.战略（上）的，战略上重要的

参考例句：

• The army moved for strategic reasons.军队作了战略转移。
• The bridge is of strategic importance to us.这座桥对我们至关重要。

10 deputy   

n.代理人，代表，副职；adj.代理的，副的

参考例句：

• John will act as a deputy for me during my absence.我离开期间，约翰将代理我的职务。
• She is the deputy headmistress of the school.她是那所学校的代理校长。