China's state media mocked the US withdrawal in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban takeover was 'more smooth than the presidential transition in the US'

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China's state media mocked the US withdrawal in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban takeover was 'more smooth than the presidential transition in the US'
Taliban fighters have been seizing territory across Afghanistan. Allauddin Khan/AP
  • China's state media said Afghanistan's "power transition" was smoother than that in the US.
  • The opinion was tweeted by Hu Xijin, the editor of the Global Times, part of China's state media.
  • Hu referenced posts on Weibo, China's Twitter, comparing the Capitol riot to the Taliban's takeover.
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China's state media mocked the US troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban's takeover of the country was smoother than the presidential transfer of powers in the US.

The opinion was tweeted on August 15 by Hu Xijin, the editor in chief of the Global Times, a state-affiliated media outlet in China.

Hu was referencing posts made on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

People made posts saying that the Taliban takeover was "peaceful" compared to the US Capitol riot on January 6, when a pro-Trump mob swarmed the Capitol, sieged the building, smashed and damaged property, and forced lawmakers into lockdown.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan for Tajikistan on August 15, leaving his presidential palace open to the Taliban fighters entering Kabul. On Sunday, fighters were seen inside the presidential palace, holding assault weapons and posing behind desks.

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Ghani, who became president in 2014, made a Facebook post upon his departure. He said he "thought it was best to get out" to avoid a "flood of blood" in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital and largest city.

The Taliban is now positioned to formally take hold of power in the country once again and declare it the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, following a complete withdrawal of American troops and the evacuation of US diplomats.

"What a joke. In Kabul today, the new government takeover was even more stable than when the US changed presidents," wrote Chen Zhen, a Weibo user.

Some Weibo users also poked fun at the blame game unfolding between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on who should take responsibility for the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan's major cities. They also made predictions about "what will happen next" in US politics.

One user with the ID DiGuaXiongLaoLiu wrote: "The script should read like this from here on. Step one: Trump asks Biden to resign and take responsibility for Afghanistan. Step two: Biden refuses to resign, and states supporting Trump will say if Biden doesn't resign, they'll leave the US! Step three: Two years later the US government dissolves itself and becomes the Ameri-Russian Government."

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