China vows to help promote Afghan peace process

BEIJING (Pajhwok): China says it has been making efforts in coordination with global powers to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

Xin Lei, deputy head of the Asia Desk at Chinese foreign ministry, said this during a meeting with a delegation of Afghan journalists in Beijing.

He welcomed the visiting media team, led by Pajhwok Afghan News Senior Editor Javed Hamim Kakar. Such exchanges helped boost cooperative bilateral relation, he said.

The diplomat, who hailed Afghanistan as China’s sincere friend and neighbor, believed through such visits, each side benefitted from the experiences of the other.

China was proud of playing a constructive role in promoting the Afghan peace process, he said, noting increased bilateral cooperation in different fields. 

Xing Lei promised China would continue to cooperate with the Afghan reconciliation campaign in coordination with the US, Russia, India and Pakistan.

Beijing was also cooperating with Afghan security forces in different areas. He spurned the rumours his country was setting a military forces within the framework of Afghan security institutions.

It was the prerogative of the Afghan government to establish a military unit anywhere in the country, he remarked, explaining setting up a military base abroad was in conflict with Chinese foreign policy.

During his visit to China last month, National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar had proposed the creation of a joint mountain brigade in Badakhshan province.

Lei said the proposed brigade was being established by Afghanistan, which sought cooperation from China in this regards.

He pledged continued Chinese assistance to Afghanistan’s media outlets, saying they would facilitate visits by Afghan journalists in the future as well.

In this way, the diplomat argued, Afghan journalists would be able to closely watch China’s progress in different spheres and return home with a positive message.

Kakar thanked China for its aid to different sectors of Afghanistan. He hailed China as the only country that continually helped the war-torn country but never interfered in its affairs.

Hamid Hamdard, a representative of Spogmai Radio and Heart of Asia newspaper, demanded an increase in Chinese scholarships for Afghan students. 

He said news organisations played the role of a bridge between the two countries and the exchange of visits had helped strengthen Sino-Afghan relations.

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