Joint efforts urged to tackle Afghan issues

FM calls on intl community to provide financial support for war-torn nation

International efforts are urgently needed to help the people of Afghanistan overcome current difficulties as well as to stabilize and reconstruct the devastated country, officials and analysts said as intensive diplomatic efforts to address the issue are underway.

Many countries, especially Afghanistan's neighbors, have been making their voices heard on the issue through various multilateral platforms, including the United Nations, the Group of 20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

At a virtual meeting among foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for the international community to address the challenges of humanitarian crisis and terrorism as well as economic and political reconstruction in Afghanistan.

The international community should take steps to deal with the food crisis facing 14 million Afghan people and make preparations to cope with the refugee crisis, Wang said.

China announced earlier this month, during a meeting of the foreign ministers of the six countries that border of Afghanistan, that it would provide 200 million yuan ($31 million) worth of grain, winter supplies, vaccines and medicines to Afghanistan, including an initial 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Also on Thursday, Wang said via video link at a meeting of the G20 foreign ministers that unilateral sanctions and restrictions on Afghanistan should be lifted and that G20 members should help Afghanistan to ease liquidity pressure.

Wang said he hoped that the international community will provide financial support for projects in Afghanistan related to poverty reduction, sustainable development, infrastructure building and people's welfare.

Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves are national assets that should belong to its people and be used by its own people and not be used as a bargaining chip to exert political pressure on Afghanistan, Wang said.

China supports the UN in playing a major role in maintaining peace and channeling aid to Afghanistan, Wang said, urging the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and other UN organs to fulfill their duties.

There are multiple mechanisms that should work jointly to aid the country, he said, adding that China is willing to stay in communication and coordinate with all parties, as well as continue to strengthen cooperation.

Assistance to Afghanistan from various countries is based on humanitarian spirit and intended to meet the Afghan people's needs, said Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Research Center for Afghanistan at China's Lanzhou University.

Countries could set aside their differences and reach more consensus on nonpolitical issues to avoid a massive humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, Zhu said.

However, he said, such assistance will only temporally ease the difficulties in the country, and the fundamental problems are whether the international community will recognize the Taliban and how it will govern the country and engage in international exchanges.

Li Shaoxian, director of Ningxia University's China-Arab Research Institute, said the international community still has doubts about the Taliban, including its policies on women's rights, its relation to terrorism and its willingness and ability to build an inclusive political framework.

Li emphasized that it is necessary to lend a helping hand to Afghanistan because chaos and trouble will nurture terrorism in the country and bring disaster to its neighbors as well as the world. Measures taken by China are based on its own interests as well as global security, Li added.

A day before Wang's participation in the two meetings, special envoys on the Afghan issue from China, Pakistan and Russia wrapped up a two-day visit to Kabul, during which they discussed assistance and the latest developments in the country and expressed support for counterterrorism efforts and the fight against drug crimes.

They met with Afghan senior officials including acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund.

The three envoys called for the United States and its allies to offer assistance to Afghanistan, as they are mainly responsible for economic and social reconstruction of the country, and said the three countries will maintain constructive contacts with the Taliban.

Their visit aimed to promote reconciliation and urge the Taliban to undertake moderate domestic and foreign policies that would be conducive to creating conditions for the country to get through this difficult period, said Li, the institute director.

China has been making efforts to help Afghanistan achieve stability and reconciliation, because peace and stability in Afghanistan is closely related to the national security of China, its neighbor, Li added.