Chinese FM meets with acting FM of Afghan Taliban's interim gov't

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister of the Afghan Taliban's interim government, in Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Yuanyong)

DOHA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister of the Afghan Taliban's interim government, in the Qatari capital of Doha.

During the meeting, Wang said that China, which has a long history of friendly people-to-people exchanges with Afghanistan as a neighbor, respects Afghanistan's pursuit of its own development path and governance model, Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as the objective reality of the Afghan interim government's rule in the country.

It's hoped that the Afghan Taliban will unite all ethnic groups and factions in Afghanistan to work together for achieving stability and restoring development, and ensure the country's future truly within the Afghan people's grasp, Wang said.

He expressed China's willingness to work with the international community to truly implement the "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" principle in Afghanistan.

China has been concerned about the current difficulties in Afghanistan, in particular the possible outbreak of a humanitarian crisis, and will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan within its capacity, Wang said.

In addition to the first batch of the humanitarian aid which already arrived in the Afghan capital of Kabul, China will provide more emergency material assistance to Afghanistan through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Wang said.

He added that China appreciates the Afghan Taliban's understanding of and emphasis on China's great concerns, and believes that the Afghan Taliban will take more resolute and practical measures to crack down on the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement," an international terrorist organization listed by the UN Security Council.

Once the security situation in Afghanistan is stabilized, Wang said, China will discuss with Afghanistan the cooperation in the field of economic reconstruction, and support the country to boost its connectivity with the region and its capability to seek independent development by giving full play to its geographical advantage as "the heart of Asia."

For his part, Muttaqi said that the situation in Afghanistan has been gradually stabilized since the new Afghan government started its real rule in the country.

He said that Afghanistan extremely cherishes peace after 45 years of war, and is willing to conduct equal and friendly cooperation with other countries.

Muttaqi stressed that the friendly relationship with China is vital to his country, adding that Afghanistan thinks highly of China's principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs and longs for all-around cooperation with China.

The Afghan official expressed thanks to China for its support and aid, which will be used to improve the Afghan people's livelihood and achieve independent development.

Afghanistan will exert its utmost efforts to realize domestic security and stability, and contribute to regional peace and security, Muttaqi vowed.

He reiterated that the Afghan Taliban will never allow anyone or any force to use the Afghan territory to do any thing to harm China.

It was agreed that the two sides will establish a liaison mechanism to discuss the contacts in the next stage.