China on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's move to seek Pakistan's support for his efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table to end the 17-year brutal war in Afghanistan.
Trump has written to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking Islamabad's "assistance and facilitation in achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war".
Commenting on the development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "we welcome sound interaction between Pakistan and the US".
"Sound and steady development of Pakistan-US relations is conducive to the realisation of the reconstruction of Afghanistan as well as anti-terrorism endeavours," he said.
It is also conducive to regional peace and stability.
"We are pleased to see the improvement of their bilateral relations (and we) support their mutually beneficial cooperation and to step up communication on this issue," Geng said.
In the letter, Trump "stated that his most important regional priority was achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war. In this regard, he has sought Pakistan's support and facilitation."
In Washington, a spokesperson of the US National Security Council told PTI that "the president recognises that Pakistan has the ability to deny the Taliban sanctuary on its territory...The letter also makes clear that Pakistan's assistance with the Afghan peace process is fundamental to building an enduring US-Pakistan partnership."
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