Support needed in four areas to resolve Afghanistan issue: Chinese FM

Support is needed in four areas to resolve the Afghanistan issue, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here after his meeting with Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Pakistani Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs.

With the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Afghanistan has entered into an important period of transition, Wang told a joint press conference with the Pakistani official.

For a long time, Afghanistan endured turbulence, turmoil and poverty and it is high time to end such a situation. This represents the strong will of the Afghan people and the common aspiration of China, Pakistan and the rest of the international community.

To resolve the Afghanistan issue, support is needed in the following four aspects, said Wang.

First of all, the effective governance of the national unity government of Afghanistan needs to be supported. The international community needs to respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and respect the develop path chosen by the Afghan people in accordance with their own national conditions.

Second, the Afghan government needs to be backed in its efforts to realize reconciliation with various political forces including the Taliban.

The broad-based national reconciliation on the Afghan-owned and Afghan-led basis is the right direction for Afghanistan to realize national unity and the long-term stability and security of the country. The international community should give it support and encouragement, and China is ready to play a constructive role and provide any necessary facilitation at any time if required by various parties in Afghanistan.

Third, we need to support the economic and social reconstruction in Afghanistan, Wang said.

To resolve the issue in Afghanistan, reconciliation is the key and reconstruction is the fundamental solution. Afghanistan will only have a new future when its economy and society developed and its people stripped off poverty. The Chinese government will earnestly deliver its commitment for the country's reconstruction, and work along with the international community to help enhance Afghanistan's self-development capacity, Wang said.

Fourth, Afghanistan's integration into regional cooperation needs to be supported. We welcome Afghanistan's active participation in China's proposal of the One Belt and One Road initiative in the light of its own reconstruction and development needs, and we hope that through alignment of develop strategies, Afghanistan will achieve common development and win-win cooperation with China and its other neighbors, Wang said.

Pakistan is an important neighbor of Afghanistan and the two countries have inseparable ties in terms of history, culture, ethnicity and religion. Because of all these, Pakistan has special leverage and irreplaceable role in resolving the issue of Afghanistan, said the Chinese foreign minister.

Looking forward, China and Pakistan will further enhance communication with Afghanistan and work with the rest of the international community to make unremitting efforts for the smooth transition of Afghanistan, he said.