China delivers $31 million humanitarian aid to Afghan government

China has delivered the first batch of its $31 million humanitarian assistance, comprising emergency supplies such as blankets and jackets, to the Taliban’s interim government in Afghanistan.

The China-donated supplies, which arrived at the Kabul International Airport on Wednesday night, have been handed over to the Afghanistan side, state-run Xinhua news agency reported from the Afghan capital.

China’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Acting Minister of Refugee Affairs of the Afghan caretaker government Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani attended the handover ceremony at the airport.

Wang said that amidst many difficulties, China has managed to arrange the emergency humanitarian aid materials for Afghanistan in a short time, which included blankets, down jackets and other winter supplies urgently needed by the Afghan people.

He said China will continue to prepare for other materials, including food aid, which are expected to arrive before long.

Haqqani thanked China for providing the emergency supplies.

Terming China as a good neighbour and friend of Afghanistan, Haqqani hoped China could provide further assistance in the future, the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN-TV) reported.

Afghanistan, which faces extremely grave economic and livelihood difficulties, urgently needs assistance from the international community in various fields, he said.

Haqqani said that Afghanistan will honour its commitments to its neighbours and the international community, in an apparent reference to the Taliban’s pledge to form an inclusive government and not to allow foreign militant groups to operate from the Afghanistan territory.

Like the rest of the world, China is yet to officially recognise the Taliban’s interim government. However, it has kept its embassy in Kabul open along with Pakistan and Russia while the missions of other countries were shut after the Afghan militant group took control of the war-torn country last month.