NEW DELHI: Afghanistan would become a "pariah state" if the Taliban take control by force, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, as a top-level delegation from the Taliban group visited China to assure officials of their international obligations.

"An Afghanistan that does not respect the rights of its people, an Afghanistan that commits atrocities against its own people would become a pariah state," Blinken told reporters in India, where he is on his first official visit. In China, the Taliban's leadership assured Beijing the group will not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for plotting against another country. In New Delhi, Blinken warned the Taliban they would have to change if they wanted global acceptance.

Blinken in India for talks dominated by Afghan turmoil, China

"The Taliban says that it seeks international recognition, that it wants international support for Afghanistan. Presumably it wants its leaders to be able to travel freely in the world, sanctions lifted, etc," he said. "The taking over of the country by force and abusing the rights of its people is not the path to achieve those objectives."