Sun Jianguo meets with Afghan counterpart

Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), met with Zawahri, the visiting deputy chief of general staff of Afghan National Army, and his party on the morning of July 8, 2014 in Beijing.

Sun Jianguo said China and Afghanistan have been friendly neighboring countries since ancient times. In recent years, the bilateral relations witness constant in-depth development with exchanges and cooperation conducted in various fields.

The bilateral military ties, as an important part of the bilateral relations of the two countries, have also made new achievements. Both sides are constantly innovating and deepening cooperation in reciprocal visits, professional exchanges, military aid and personnel training with contents of cooperation increasingly diversified.

The Chinese side hopes to strengthen exchanges between young military officers of the two militaries and keep deepening and expanding cooperation fields while maintaining high-level reciprocal visits.

Sun Jianguo also expressed gratitude to Afghan government and military for their support in anti-terrorism cause, and the Chinese side is willing to strengthen coordination with the Afghan side to jointly safeguard the security and interests of both countries.

Zawahri thanked China for its support and help in Afghanistan's reconstruction. He expressed the friendship between Afghanistan and China is everlasting and unchanging. Afghanistan attaches importance to its friendly ties with China, and stands ready to work with China to strengthen military cooperation, jointly cope with security threats such as extremism and terrorism, and safeguard peace and stability in the region.