Officials from the Taliban and China met last month - in an ominous sign of warming of ties.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met with nine representatives from the militant group on July 28.
He said Beijing expected the Taliban to "play an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan" - just weeks before the chaos of Sunday.
The meeting came amid claims that the hardline Islamic movement hopes to gain greater recognition on the world stage if they return to power.
The Taliban has insisted they are seeking a peaceful transfer of power and promised an amnesty for those who had worked with foreign countries or the Afghan government.
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But it is feared that the country could be plunged back into the dark ages it experienced prior to the 2001 invasion by US forces, including public executions and dismemberment.
The Taliban is on the brink of regaining control in Afghanistan after storming through Kabul on Sunday.
It stepped up a campaign to defeat a US-backed government in April after President Joe Biden confirmed plans to end 20 years of war.
The militant group's arrival in the capital city has forced foreign embassies to close and left millions of civilians worried about what is to come under their austere rule.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged the Taliban and all other parties to exercise the utmost restraint in order to protect lives and expressed particular concern about the future of women and girls.
"There continue to be reports of serious human rights abuses and violations in the communities most affected by the fighting," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding that Guterres "is particularly concerned about the future of women and girls, whose hard-won rights must be protected."
"All abuses must stop. He calls on the Taliban and all other parties to ensure ... the rights and freedoms of all people are respected and protected," Dujarric said.
Under Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001, women could not work, girls were not allowed to attend school and women had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative if they wanted to venture out of their homes.
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The Taliban's hold on Afghanistan was strengthened on Sunday after incumbent president Ashraf Ghani fled the country, claiming he was avoiding a flood of bloodshed.
British troops have landed in Kabul to evacuate embassy staff working in the city, with a number of Afghans who helped during the war also said to have been flown out.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said getting British nationals out of the country was a priority - but added that it was up to the West to work together to avoid Afghanistan becoming a breeding ground for terror.
