China supports Afghan peaceful reconstruction

Paper reaffirms Beijing's pledge to help Kabul integrate into regional economy

China released a position paper on Wednesday to reiterate support for the peaceful reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, one day before the fourth foreign ministers' meeting among the neighboring countries of Afghanistan.

The Foreign Ministry published the paper on its website to detail China's stance on Afghan issue. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the foreign ministers' meeting, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

China will continue to provide the assistance it had pledged to Afghanistan and promote bilateral cooperation in economy, trade and investment, the paper said.

Beijing welcomes Kabul to participate in Belt and Road cooperation and supports Afghanistan's integration into regional economic cooperation and connectivity that will transform Afghanistan from a "landlocked country" to a "land-linked country", it said.

Since the withdrawal of US troops and the Taliban's takeover in 2021, China has been actively helping Afghanistan, including providing humanitarian assistance and joining in frequent consultations to promote political settlement of the Afghan issue through various platforms such as the foreign ministers' meeting, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan.

Under the new circumstances, Afghanistan should be a platform for cooperation among various parties rather than geopolitical games, the paper said.

China supports all plans and measures that are conducive to political settlement of the Afghan issue, and will actively engage in multilateral coordination to build consensus and synergy for stability and assistance to Afghanistan at regional and international levels.

China sincerely hopes Afghanistan could build an open and inclusive political structure, adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, and engage in friendly exchanges with all countries especially neighboring countries, the paper said.

It said China hopes the interim Afghan government will protect the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people, including women, children and all ethnic groups.

Counterterrorism efforts

The paper said China hopes Afghanistan will fulfill its commitment and take effective measures to crack down on all terrorist forces, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and ensure the safety and security of citizens, institutions and projects of China and other countries in Afghanistan.

China also calls for strengthening counterterrorism security cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels and providing Afghanistan with much-needed supplies, equipment and technical assistance.

Noting that the US is the culprit of the Afghan issue, the paper said China urges the US to lift its sanctions, return Afghanistan's overseas assets, and deliver its pledged humanitarian aid to meet the emergency needs of the Afghan people.

At a regular news conference on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Afghanistan's neighbors and the international community to help the country embark on a path toward stable development and jointly achieve long-lasting peace as well as prosperity and progress in the region.

Releasing the paper at such a time not only demonstrates the importance China attaches to the Afghan issue and its support for the Afghan people, but also calls on the international community to continue to pay attention to and increase assistance to the country as it is still at a crucial stage of shifting from turbulence to order, said Li Qingyan, an associate researcher at the China Institute of International Studies.

The paper shows that China actively works hard to rally international efforts to jointly resolve the Afghan issue, Li said.

As a responsible nation and friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China will continue to play a constructive role on the Afghan issue, she added.