Beijing, Aug 18 (IANS): China encourages the Afghan Taliban to pursue a moderate religious policy and hopes that the new Afghan regime can make a clean break with all kinds of international terrorist forces, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a press conference.

China hopes the Taliban can work with all parties in setting up an open and inclusive political framework, and pursue a peaceful and friendly foreign policy, particularly developing friendly relations with neighbouring countries, to achieve reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, Hua said, Xinhua news agency reported.

She said the new Afghan regime should constrain and crack down on terrorist groups, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, in order to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces again.

Noting that China is Afghanistan's largest neighbouring country, Hua said China has always respected Afghanistan's sovereign independence and territorial integrity, adhered to non-interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs, and pursued a friendly policy towards all the Afghan people.

"For a long time, China has maintained contact with the Taliban on the basis of full respect for the national sovereignty of Afghanistan and the will of various factions in the country, and played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue," she said.

In the past few months, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had chaired the second China + Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers' meeting in China's Xi'an, attended the 4th China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) - Afghanistan Contact Group foreign ministers' meeting, and had close communication and interaction with parties concerned, including Russia, Pakistan, the US, Central Asian countries, the European Union, Iran and Turkey.

On July 28, Wang Yi in China's Tianjin met with the visiting delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the political chief of Afghanistan's Taliban, and expressed the hope that the Taliban can give priority to the national interests, hold high the banner of peace talks, set up peace goals, and pursue an inclusive policy.

"China will continue to maintain close coordination with all parties concerned to push for an end to the war in Afghanistan at an early date and achieve lasting peace," Hua said.