Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Kabul (BNA) Afghanistan and China pledged a long-term partnership Tuesday as the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, leading a high-ranking delegation began a four-day visit to the friendly country.
Dr. Ahmadzai’s first state visit as president is to China, to seek greater investment opportunities in Afghanistan. “We look at China as a strategic partner, in the short term, medium term, long term and very long term,” he told President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. Xi’s “vision” for the continent had opened “not just a new chapter for Asia, but an entirely new book”, he said. Hailing Dr. Ahmadzai as “an old friend of the Chinese people”, Xi said he was prepared to work towards “a new era of cooperation in China-Afghanistan relations” to “take development to a new depth and breadth”. But all NATO combat troops will leave the country by December, leaving Afghan troops and police to battle Taliban insurgents on their own. There are now about 40,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, down from their 2011 peak of around 140,000, and their departure raises questions over stability in the country. A residual force of around 12,000 soldiers, including 9,800 Americans and 500 Britons, will remain under a security pact signed by President Ghani, focusing on training local forces and counter-terrorism. China will provide 1.5 billion yuan ($245 million) in “free assistance” to Afghanistan over the next three years, foreign ministry official Kong Xuanyou told reporters after Tuesday’s ceremony. The country’s president said his country was ready to increase war on terror, extremism and drugs trafficking and organized crimes. President Ahmadzai reassured that his country is committed in supporting “United China” and expressed his backing to China’s stance with regard to Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. With regard to old relations between Afghanistan and China, the president said both countries had linked for 200 years via Silk Route, adding, “We want Afghanistan to change into a convergence point within the next 20 years.” President Ahmadzai also said that Afghanistan favors having direct link with China through Wakhan corridor, saying his government encourages Chinese companies for investment in Afghanistan and called upon Chinese firms to invest in the fields of transport, highway and railway construction. Since 2015 is coincided with 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, President Ahmadzai proposed 2015 would be named Sino-Afghan Friendship and Cooperation Year. For his part, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping said that the first foreign visit of President Ahmadzai to China demonstrates attaching importance to relations between the two nations. President Xi Jinping said that China would continue to support Afghanistan and in the Heart of Asia or Istanbul process wants all the countries to assist it. The Chinese President also said he would encourage the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to cooperate with Afghanistan. With regard to the importance of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, President Xi stated that China wants to play its role in restoring trust between the two neighboring states. He also added that Beijing would assist Afghanistan worth 500 million Yuan during the current year and the assistance would increase up to 1.5 billion Yuan in the future years. President Xi pointed out that China is hopeful to see a stable, united and prosperous Afghanistan. Expressing his support to Afghanistan-led peace process, President Xi also added that China would provide 500 scholarships to Afghan students over the next five years. President Ahmadzai thanked China for hosting the fourth conference of the foreign ministers of Heart Asia and also invited his Chinese counterpart to visit Afghanistan and President Xi accepted the invitation saying he would visit Afghanistan at a proper time. China and Afghanistan signed four agreements Tuesday, including documents on expanding technical and commercial cooperation.
