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Xi pledges strong support to Afghanistan as Beijing pushes Af-Pak-China ties
The Chinese leader pledged Beijing’s support at a regional conference comprising representatives from Afghanistan, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday issued a strong statement in support of Afghanistan, saying the country is transitioning from “chaos to order” but made no mention of the ruling Taliban’s abuse of human rights and increasing curtailing of women’s rights.
“China always respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and has committed to supporting its pursuit of peace, stability and development,” Xi said.
Xi Jinping, according to an official statement, pointed out that having gone through so much in the past, Afghanistan is in urgent need of development in many areas. “The country has come to a critical point of transition from chaos to order,” he said.
The Chinese leader pledged Beijing’s support in a written message to participants at a regional conference comprising representatives from Afghanistan, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held in a city in eastern China’s Anhui province.
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi is leading the country’s diplomatic blitz at the regional conference, hosting the primary “third meeting of foreign ministers of the countries neighbouring Afghanistan” and holding separate bilateral and trilateral meetings on the sidelines.
On Thursday, foreign minister Wang Yi said China, Afghanistan and Pakistan should restart the trilateral cooperation mechanism and advance cooperation in the areas of politics, development and security.
Wang made the remarks at a trilateral meeting with Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and acting foreign minister of the Afghan Interim Government Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Wang, according to the official Xinhua news agency, called on the three parties “…to build tripartite political mutual trust, support each other’s core concerns and safeguard common interests”.
“The three parties should strengthen practical cooperation, promote the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, and help Afghanistan participate in regional interconnection,” Wang said.
Muttaqi said the Afghan side understands the international community’s concern about the rights and interests of women and children, especially girls’ education, and will promote it actively and step by step.
“The interim government has never banned girls from going to school and has reopened 60% of schools so far,” Mutttaqi claimed.
China’s special envoy for Afghanistan Yue Xiaoyong will host the so-called Extended Troika meeting on the country: China, Russia, the US plus Pakistan.
On November 11, 2021, Islamabad hosted the first meeting of the extended Troika, to discuss the latest situation in Afghanistan. Representatives of the four countries had then met with senior Taliban representatives on the sidelines of the meeting.
The two-day long talks on Afghanistan come against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as Kabul suffers an economic and humanitarian crisis worsened by a financial aid cutoff following the Taliban takeover last August.
They also come amid widespread condemnation of the Taliban’s U-turn last week on allowing girls to attend public high schools, which has sparked consternation among funders ahead of a key aid donors’ conference, a UN official said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
