China calls on the US, Taliban to continue dialogue, create conditions for final settlement of Afghan issue

BEIJING, Sep 10 (APP):China Tuesday called on the US and Taliban to continue to push forward their negotiations and talks for results for the peace in Afghanistan and create conditions for the final settlement of Afghan issue.

“We call on the United States and the Taliban to continue to push forward negotiations and talk about results so that the seeds of peace can take root in Afghanistan and create conditions for the final settlement of the Afghan problem,” Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a briefing while commenting over suspension of talks between the US President Donald Trump and Taliban representatives.
About the recent announcement by the United States to cancel the meeting with the Taliban representatives, she pointed out that the United States and the Taliban had made important progress in negotiations for some time and reached a principled consensus on the peace agreement.

“Although there are various uncertainties in the current process of peace reconciliation in Afghanistan, the cessation of war and the achievement of peace are the unanimous aspirations of more than 30 million Afghan people and the common aspiration of the people of the region and the international community,” she added.

The spokesperson said that China firmly supported the broadly inclusive peace reconciliation process of “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” and supported the Afghan issue to strengthen dialogue.

Hua remarked that the foreign forces should be withdrawn in an orderly and responsible manner, which means that the relevant arrangements should be conducive to the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

Responding to the third tripartite dialogue among the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan held in Islamabad, she said that the tripartite foreign ministers’ dialogue was held in the context of a special international region.

“At present, international unilateralism, protectionism and bullying are prevalent, and the interests of developing countries are threatened and challenged,” she added.

The spokesperson said the situation in South Asia had undergone profound and complicated changes. Some disputes left over from history had once again warmed up and peace and stability in the region had been affected.
She said all three countries had the desire to maintain regional peace and stability and achieve long-term stability. They all had the requirements of promoting the construction of the “Belt and Road” and promoting regional interconnection.

The three countries had the expectation of achieving sustainable development and improving people’s well-being and were committed to deepening economic, trade, humanities, intercommunication, building “One Belt and One Road” and combating terrorist forces, safeguarding regional peace and stability, and promoting regional development and prosperity.

Hua said this dialogue has reached five important consensuses. First, the three parties positively evaluated the positive results of the foreign ministers’ dialogue and believed that China, Pakistan and Afghanistan cooperation, as a new sub-regional cooperation practice, conformed to the urgent desire of the local people for peace and development, and formed a distinctive feature of equality, openness, pragmatism and efficiency.

Second, the three parties believed that the situation in Afghanistan had entered a key node and called on foreign troops to withdraw in an orderly and responsible manner, she added.

The spokesperson said both China and Pakistan were looking forward to the Afghan government and the Taliban to reach a peaceful settlement through peace talks, and call on the Afghan factions to start internal negotiations as soon as possible in accordance with the principle of “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned ” reconciliation process to explore future political arrangements accepted by all parties, and to realize peace in Afghanistan at an early date.

“State Councilor Wang Yi also proposed three principles for Afghanistan’s future political arrangements: it should have broad representation and inclusiveness, unswervingly combat terrorism, and pursue a peaceful and friendly foreign policy. This provides a Chinese idea and a Chinese plan for the settlement of the Afghan issue,” she added.

Elaborating the third consensus, she said the three parties believed that the improvement of Pakistan and Afghanistan relations was of great significance to the peace, stability and development of the two countries and regions, and positively evaluated the efforts and achievements of the two countries improvement of relations since the launch of the tripartite dialogue.

“China appreciates the political courage demonstrated by the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan and is willing to continue to provide support and assistance for the two countries to carry out dialogue, improve relations and strengthen cooperation,”she added.

Hua said under the fourth consensus, the three parties agreed to explore and promote tripartite cooperation within the framework of jointly building the “Belt and Road”.

She observed the three parties would strengthen interconnection and exchange, promote the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project to Afghanistan, and work together with international partners to build the Kabul-Peshawar Expressway.

“It will carry out social and livelihood cooperation, and implement the agreed drinking water, cold storage and medical stations at the Pak-Afghan border crossing,” she added.

The spokesperson said projects included entry and exit reception facilities; deepening cultural exchanges and conducting exchanges and training in the fields of diplomats, cultural relics, archaeology, red meetings, media, think tanks, etc.

The spokesperson said, fifth, the three parties would deepen cooperation in security and counter-terrorism.

She said the three parties reached an agreement on the implementation of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Combating Terrorism” and decided to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism capacity building and drug control, while strengthening cooperation in intelligence sharing and law enforcement, and continue to firmly crack down on terrorist forces such as the “East Turkistan Independence Movement.”

“The three parties also issued a joint statement, which fully reflected the consensus and results of the meeting,” she pointed out.

Hua said the Chinese side was willing to continue to maintain close communication with Afghanistan and Pakistan and implement the consensus reached in this dialogue.