Beijing has signalled its readiness to cooperate with the Taliban after the United States' withdrawal, which spurred a rapid advance by the Taliban across the country that saw them capture the capital Kabul on Sunday.

Faced with criticism over the disorganised pullout of American troops after 20 years of US-led military intervention, President Joe Biden on Monday defended the withdrawal and blamed Afghan forces whom he said were "not willing to fight for themselves".

But Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Tuesday said Washington had left "an awful mess of unrest, division and broken families" in Afghanistan.

"America's strength and role is destruction, not construction," Hua said at a regular press briefing.

China shares a rugged 76-kilometre (47-mile) border with Afghanistan.