Chinese envoy to UN urges reflection from relevant countries over Afghanistan fallout

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan does not mark the end of responsibility, rather the beginning of reflection and correction, a Chinese envoy said here on Monday.

"The chaos in Afghanistan is directly related to the hasty and disorderly withdrawal of foreign troops," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council in remarks after a vote on a draft resolution on Afghanistan.

"We hope that relevant countries will realize the fact that withdrawal is not the end of responsibility, but the beginning of reflection and correction," he said, while urging them to learn from the lessons, and truly respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, and the rights of the Afghan people to determine their own future.

On recent retaliatory attacks on ISIS-K, an affiliate of the Islamic State group, which had reportedly caused casualties of innocent civilians, Geng urged the United States to refrain from indiscriminately bombing populated areas in Afghanistan.

The Chinese envoy stressed China strongly condemns the recent terrorist attacks in Kabul and warned the hasty withdrawal of foreign troops would likely provide opportunities for various terrorist organizations to make a comeback in Afghanistan.

"We hope that the security of Kabul airport can be guaranteed, the evacuation of relevant personnel can proceed smoothly, and all parties concerned can strengthen coordination to jointly prevent new terrorist attacks," he said.

Afghanistan, Geng said, must never again become the breeding ground of terrorism or a base for terrorists.

This is the bottom line that Afghanistan must adhere to in any future political settlement, he continued, adding that it is hoped that the Taliban will honestly fulfill their commitments and completely cut off ties with all terrorist organizations.

Mentioning that the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan will expire next month, Geng said China looks forward to continuing constructive consultations with members of the Security Council, and conducting in-depth discussions and striving for board consensus on the UN presence in Afghanistan in the next phase in order to help Afghanistan achieve peace and reconciliation, and start its reconstruction process.

As a member of the Security Council and an important neighboring country of Afghanistan, China has all along followed the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and always pursued a friendly policy toward all Afghans, the Chinese envoy said.

China, he added, is ready to continue to develop good-neighborly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in the peaceful reconstruction of the country.