Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi reiterated in Paris on Thursday that China would always stand with Afghanistan in its course of national reconstruction and development.

"To the people of Afghanistan, the past seven years are of historic significance," Yang started in a speech to an international conference in support of Afghanistan.

"Today, Afghanistan is once again standing at a new starting point, facing both difficulties and hopes, both challenges and opportunities," he said, welcoming the Afghanistan National Development Strategy presented by the Afghan government to the meeting.

"We need a safe and secure Afghanistan," Yang said, "China supports the accelerated development of the Afghan military and police forces and continued progress in the security sector reform."

He noted that since 2002, China provided the war-torn nation with military assistance and implemented the agreement on free training to Afghan military personnel between 2006 and 2010.

China has pledged 170 million US dollars of assistance since 2002 to support its neighbor's reconstruction and development, he noted.

"We need an Afghanistan that enjoys development. Only when the Afghan people see and share the fruits of development, can there be a solid foundation and driving forces for the reconstruction process to keep moving forward," said Yang.

China would continue to enhance cooperation with Afghanistan on law enforcement and intelligence sharing and take an active part in the international efforts to set up an anti-drug security belt, he said.

"We need a sustainable Afghanistan," Yang said, adding that capacity building and personnel training have always been the focus in China's assistance to Afghanistan.

He pledged that China would continue to train Afghan professionals in the fields of commerce, agriculture customs, drug control and security.

Yang urged the international community to continue to take interest, make inputs in Afghanistan and intensify coordination and cooperation in this regard.

"China highly appreciates the UN peace-building efforts in Afghanistan and will continue to support it," Yang noted.

Foreign ministers or high-level officials from 80 countries and organizations took part in the one-conference to raise fund for Afghanistan and discuss ways on how to coordinate the aid efforts and how to use the fund properly and effectively.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2008)