China is willing to support Afghanistan in reviving the stalled reconciliation process in the war-torn country, visiting Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.
Wang made the remarks while meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, which is mainly focused on peace, security and economic development in Afghanistan.
The China-U.S. cooperation on the Afghan issue constitutes part of their global strategic cooperation and is in the joint strategic interests of the two nations, Wang said.
"China is willing to work with the United States to reinforce communication and cooperation, participate in the reconstruction and development process of Afghanistan, support the revival of its reconciliation process, encourage Afghanistan to improve its ties with Pakistan and assist the country in realizing peace, stability and prosperity at an early date."
The Chinese foreign minister called on the two sides to implement the fruitful results achieved during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States in September as well as the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of recent Paris climate change conference, to push forward bilateral coordination and cooperation in key areas and on international and regional issues to ensure the smooth development of bilateral ties.
He also urged the two countries to handle differences and sensitive issues in a constructive way so as to not affect bilateral relations.
For his part, Blinken said that enhanced cooperation between the United States and China will be beneficial not only to the two nations but also the entire world.
The United States, on the basis of mutual respect, is willing to deepen cooperation with China in various fields, especially on such important international issues as climate change, and handle differences properly, he noted.
Blinken added that the United States appreciated China's role in pushing forward peaceful reconstruction and reconciliation process in Afghanistan and is willing to coordinate and reinforce cooperation with China on the issue.
