Afghanistan, China discuss humanitarian aid, trade

KABUL (Pajhwok): China has pledged all-out cooperation with Afghanistan in areas of humanitarian assistance, health, education and trade.

The pledge came at the third session of the China-Afghanistan liaison mechanism for humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction on Wednesday in Beijing,

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said the Afghan delegation shared its suggestions with Chinese officials for increasing the effectiveness of assistance from Beijing.

The Chinese side promised providing aid to Afghanistan based on the needs of its people, according to the MoFA statement.

The Chinese Red Crescent Society promised the resumption of treatment to Afghan children with congenital heart defects (CHDs).

The two sides also discussed bilateral trade, especially creating a good environment for Afghan exports to China, capacity building, the importance of the Wakhan corridor and other topics.

Enhanced oil extraction and the launch of practical work on the Mes Ainak copper project also came up for discussion.

Chinese officials pledged increasing the number of scholarships for Afghan students.

Communication mechanism sessions for humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction are a series of meetings primarily aimed at coordinating economic and trade relations and examining ways to boost bilateral trade.

The first session of the working group was held on December 31, 2021.

kk/mud