From Mahnoor Makhdoom
BEIJING: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community and the Afghan people’s well-being should receive due attention.
“As a traditional friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, we always believe that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community. Afghan people’s well-being should receive due attention,” Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing when asked whether China believes that it would help Afghan side gain international recognition if the Afghan side truly delivers on pledge to fight terrorism. The spokesperson said that Afghanistan’s reconstruction process should be encouraged, and its sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected.
“We also note the world’s concerns and expectations for the interim government, including with regard to adopting prudent and moderate policies protecting women and children’s rights and interests and taking a firmer stance on counter-terrorism,” he added.
Referring to the joint statement issued at the end of fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue held in Islamabad, he said it reflected the consensus reached and trust for deeper cooperation in political development and security domains.
“As you said, this is the first multilateral document that has the participation of the Afghan interim government. And it is also the first time that the Afghan Taliban made an explicit written pledge denouncing terrorism especially the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM),” he added. The spokesperson termed it of great significance to the future of China-Afghanistan relations and regional counter-terrorism and security cooperation.
He pointed out that the fifth dialogue was the first formal dialogue among the foreign ministers of the three countries since the profound change in the situation in Afghanistan in 2021.” The dialogue plays an important role in advancing good neighborly friendship and practical cooperation among the three countries and contributes to the political settlement of the Afghan issue and galvanize international efforts for stability and development in Afghanistan,” he added.
The Chinese side hoped that Afghan interim government would take concrete steps in the right direction to gain the understanding and trust of the international community and create enabling conditions for the country to grow friendly ties with its neighbors and become a member of the international community.
