Xiaoyong: Beijing Ready to Enhance Engagement with Afghanistan

China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, said that Beijing is ready to further work with the UN and regional partners to enhance engagement with Afghanistan.

Xiaoyong said on X that China in the Doha meeting called for more humanitarian assistance, moderate governance, women and girls’ education, and that the US take major responsibility for Afghanistan’s reconstruction, release Afghan overseas assets, and lift unilateral sanctions.

“China stressed that we are ready to further & harder work with UN & regional partners especially Afghanistan Neighboring Countries FM Meeting and other platforms to enhance engagement with Afghanistan to help for its peace, stability, reconstruction and common prosperity,” Yue Xiaoyong said.

“Talking about the Doha meeting’s failure either means that this meeting was not properly understood, or it means the use of the vacuum of legal government to swallow Afghanistan,” said Sayed Javad Sajadi, a political analyst.

The US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, regarding the Doha meeting on Afghanistan, said: “The meeting reinforced that the international community remains largely united and committed to supporting the Afghan people and their struggle for economic stability, security and respect for their rights, particularly addressing the plight of Afghan women and girls.”

“Afghan civil society representatives remained unified in their calls on the int. community to factor in the dire situation of Afghan women when assessing the security situation in Afghanistan and the importance of including Afghan women and civil society in deliberations on Afghanistan,” she wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said China is a friendly country and that the current Afghan government wants good relations with all countries.

“China and Afghanistan have good diplomatic, commercial, and economic relations. We still seek good ties with other nations, and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has fulfilled its obligations and taken the required steps in support of the country’s national interests in this respect, Mujahid told TOLOnews.

The Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, also said that at the Doha meeting on Afghanistan, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres covered the areas of concern, including that Afghanistan does not become a ‘hotbed’ of terrorist activity.

However, the Islamic Emirate has consistently said that Afghanistan is free of terrorist groups.