High-level meeting addresses Afghan issue

China hopes the international community will view the Afghan issue in a comprehensive, balanced and objective manner, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Thursday after attending the second informal meeting with foreign ministers from Russia, Pakistan and Iran in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

While commenting on the Taliban's prohibition of Afghan women from working for United Nations institutions in the country, which triggered concerns from neighboring countries as well as the international community, Qin noted that the Afghan interim government has stressed on many occasions that it will respect and protect the rights and interests of women, saying he hopes that these stated policies will be followed through and that the Afghan interim government will resolve relevant issues through consultations with parties concerned.

The State Councilor emphasized that although women's rights is important, it is not the whole of the Afghan issue, nor is it the core and root of the issue.

Two-thirds of the Afghan population still suffer from starvation, and the Afghan people still live under the shadow of threat of terrorism and external interference, Qin said, calling for a comprehensive and systematic solution to the Afghan issue.

Women's rights and interests can only be guaranteed under a stable and safe society with economic development, he said.

China advocates that the international community continue to help Afghanistan to develop its economy and improve people's livelihoods, and provide constant humanitarian and development assistance to the country, he said.

The international community should guide the Afghan government in adopting moderate and prudent policies through dialogue and communication so as to effectively protect the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people, including women, children, and ethnic minorities, he added.

In response to a question about the United States' withdrawal of its troops, Qin said the US should learn lessons from its failure in Afghanistan.

Conquering by force never brought peace in Afghanistan but only caused conflict and turmoil over the past 20 years, and the "democratic transformation" imposed by the US and the West only led to dysfunction, Qin said.

The number of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan has increased to over 20, leaving a huge "security black hole" in the country, he added.

Military withdrawal does not mean shirking responsibilities, Qin stressed, adding that Washington should not ignore the current difficulties in Afghanistan, and must return Afghanistan's hard-earned money.

He urged the US not to judge and interfere in other countries' systems by Western standards, and not attempt to redeploy military forces in Afghanistan and the region.

Qin also told reporters that consensus was also reached among the foreign ministers' informal meeting regarding respect to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, and urged the Afghan interim government to take more "visible measures" to fulfill its commitment to contain and resolutely counter terrorism.

Also on Thursday, Qin met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister of the Afghan interim government.

Mirziyoyev to visit Beijing

During his visit to Uzbekistan on Wednesday, Qin met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the country's Acting Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.

Mirziyoyev said he is looking forward to attending the first China-Central Asia Summit and the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in China this year, as his country steps up cooperation in various areas with Beijing.

China and five Central Asian nations agreed in June to establish the heads of state meeting mechanism of China Central Asia, or C C5, and hold biennial summits.