Chinese Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing said in London on Tuesday that China will provide 80
million yuan (nearly US$10 million ) in aid to Afghanistan in
2006.
China will offer long-term assistance and engage in long-term
cooperation with Afghanistan in the win-win spirit of mutual
benefit and common development, Li said at the international
conference on Afghan reconstruction hosted by British Prime
Minister Tony Blair.
Besides the provision of 80 million yuan, China will also levy
zero tariff on most Afghan export products in 2006, said the
Chinese minister.
China will continue to support the Afghan government's
anti-terror efforts and help train more Afghan defense and police
officers, Li said.
China will furthermore work with the international community and
other Afghan neighbors to tackle the booming drug production in
Afghanistan, which is said to be the source of nearly 90 percent of
the world's opium and heroin, Li said.
The top Chinese diplomat said Chinese industries have been
encouraged to participate in the reconstruction projects in
Afghanistan, and also to make investments in such fields as
infrastructure, electricity, mineral resources, and
transportation.
Li also emphasized that regional cooperation is an effective way
for international community and neighboring countries to help
Afghanistan move toward a stable and prosperous country.
He suggested that building a regional transportation network be
a priority in cooperation with Afghanistan.
China will make full use of the existing regional cooperative
mechanism to promote practical cooperation with Afghanistan in the
fields of fighting drugs-trafficking, anti-terrorism and border
management, Li added.
Envoys from nearly 70 nations and international bodies,
including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan, attended the conference and signed a five-year
blueprint for helping the war-shattered Central Asian country along
the road to peace and self-sufficiency.
The plan, known as the "Afghanistan Compact," sets out specific
targets for boosting economic and social development, bolstering
security, enhancing governance, strengthening the rule of law and
improving human rights conditions
(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2006)