China hopes Afghanistan can find its suitable development path: envoy

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday expressed the hope that Afghanistan would be able to make the right choice and find a development path that is suited to its national conditions.

The Taliban have announced the formation of an interim government in Afghanistan -- a necessary step toward restoring order and post-war reconstruction. The Taliban have said the interim government was set up to restore social and economic order as soon as possible, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We hope that the Taliban will learn lessons from history, honor its commitments, unite all ethnic groups and factions, build a broad-based and inclusive political architecture, pursue moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, protect the rights and interests of women and children, resolutely combat terrorist groups, and develop friendly and cooperative relations with other countries, no least its neighbors," he said.

"Today, Afghanistan stands at a historic crossroads. We sincerely hope that Afghanistan can make the right choice and find a development path that is suited to its national conditions," he told the Security Council.

China welcomes UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' convening of an international conference on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan slated for Monday in Geneva, and hopes that the international community, major donor countries in particular, will step up assistance to Afghanistan, said Geng.

At the same time, the international community should help Afghanistan tap into its advantages in natural endowment, geographical location and human resources, carry out regional cooperation and connectivity activities, promote economic and social development, and improve the well-being of its people, he said.

One of the major causes for the current economic difficulties in Afghanistan is the freezing of Afghan overseas assets. These assets belong to Afghanistan and should be used for Afghanistan, not as leverage for threat or restraints, he said.

The situation in Afghanistan is closely related to the peace and development of the entire region. Over the years, Afghanistan's neighbors and countries in its vicinity have actively supported Afghanistan's peace, reconciliation and reconstruction process, and made enormous efforts to promote peace and development in Afghanistan, said Geng.

These countries are on the front lines of the fight against terrorism spillover, cross-border drug smuggling, and refugee and migrant exodus. The international community should understand these countries' difficulties, respect their sacrifices and support their efforts, he said.

A foreign ministers' meeting was held Wednesday among Afghanistan's six neighbors, during which in-depth discussions were held on such topics as the current situation in Afghanistan, epidemic prevention and control, port opening, migratory regulations and control, humanitarian aid, counter-terrorism and security, cooperation in drug control and other issues. A series of consensuses were formed, whereby all agreed to focus on common concerns and strengthen communication and coordination, so as to create an enabling external environment for restoring stability in Afghanistan, he said.

As a neighbor, China has always respected the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, adhered to non-interference in its affairs and pursued a friendly policy toward all people of Afghanistan. To meet the immediate needs of the Afghan people, China will donate, for the first batch, 3 million doses of vaccines, to be followed by another 200 million RMB yuan (31 million U.S. dollars) worth of food supplies, vaccines and medicines on an emergency basis.

When the security and other conditions are met, China is poised to help Afghanistan build projects that will help improve livelihoods, and in so doing, support Afghanistan in its peaceful reconstruction and economic development.

Under the current circumstances, China supports the United Nations in playing a bigger role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and helping the country achieve a smooth transition and embark on the path of peaceful development at an early date, he said.