China Announces 100M Yuan to Aid Afghan Returnees

Zhao Xing, the Chinese ambassador in Kabul, announced a donation of 100 million Chinese yuan (around $13.7 million) to address the challenges faced by Afghan returnees from neighboring countries.

Abdul Rahman Habib, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy, said that Zhao Xing made this statement during a meeting with the acting Minister of Economy Din Mohammad Hanif.

According to Habib, in the meeting they discussed strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations, the construction of the Wakhan corridor, the economic and transit importance of the Wakhan corridor, the initiation of road construction for the Mes Aynak copper mine in Logar province, and China’s investment in Afghanistan’s infrastructure sectors.

The Ministry of Economy spokesperson said: “The Chinese ambassador met with the acting minister of economy, during which the ambassador assured the delivery of 100 million Chinese yuan to address the challenges of Afghan returnees. Part of this money will also be used to assist flood victims.”

Meanwhile, the Japanese ambassador, in a meeting with Hedayatullah Badri, announced a $10 million aid package from Japan to provide alternative crops for farmers and health services for addicts in Afghanistan.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Homayoun Afghan, wrote that Hedayatullah Badri, the acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, had separate meetings with Takayoshi Kuromiya, the Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan, and Khawaja Awadov, Turkmenistan’s ambassador in Kabul.

According to the spokesman, these meetings discussed the expansion of Afghanistan’s relations with these countries, recent progress on the TAPI project, and resolving challenges of the Qashqari block project in the Amu Darya oil basin, as well as the initiation of the Mes Aynak copper mine project in Logar.

Homayoun Afghan, the spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, added: “In this meeting, the TAPI project was regarded as important for Afghanistan and the involved regional countries, and it was assured that this project would be prioritized by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.”

Meanwhile, officials of the Islamic Emirate have consistently emphasized that Afghanistan has an economy-focused policy and that economic integration among neighboring and regional countries with Afghanistan is beneficial for all nations.