Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that with a stronger response to the concerns of all parties, "diplomatic recognition of the Afghan government will be an act of following the natural course," following the conclusion of the Third Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Afghan Issue among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan in Tunxi in East China's Anhui Province.

Wang, who chaired the ministerial meeting put forward three suggestions on the Afghanistan issue and summarized eight-pronged suggestions reached by countries. In response to a question about whether China would consider diplomatic recognition of the Taliban interim government in Afghanistan, Wang said as a traditional friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China always believes that Afghanistan should not become a failed country, let alone be excluded from the international community.

"Afghanistan has been suffering from war for many years and has lagged behind world development. This situation should not continue. The Afghan people have the right to live a peaceful life with enough food and clothing, and the Afghan nation also has the right to stand among the nations of the world on an equal footing," Wang said.

Wang said since the establishment of the Afghan Interim Government, it has made a lot of efforts to stabilize the situation and exercise governance, with certain results having been achieved. During the dialogue and exchanges, the Afghan side introduced its determination to realize self-generated development, expressed its desire to gain more understanding and support from neighboring countries and the international community, and demonstrated a positive attitude toward conducting foreign exchanges.

"At the same time, we also noticed that the international community, including neighboring countries, still has many concerns and expectations for the Afghan Interim Government," Wang said, "It is hoped that the Afghan Interim Government will complete the role transformation at an early date, and make more progress in promoting national reconciliation, building a more inclusive government, and guaranteeing women's rights to employment and children's rights to education, among others." 

It's hoped that the Afghan Interim Government will adopt a firmer attitude in combating terrorism in particular, and produce more visible results, Wang added. 

China believes that with a stronger response to the concerns of all parties, diplomatic recognition of the Afghan government will be an act of following the natural course, Wang said. 

We hope and expect that the Afghan Interim Government will take solid steps and make practical efforts in this right direction, Wang said. 

The China-hosted third Foreign Ministers' Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan witnessed the first-time attendance of the Afghan Taliban acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.  

Experts said Afghanistan's participation will improve communication and understanding with its neighbors and it will also help implement the consensus reached on issues such as counterterrorism, security, government inclusion, and humanitarian assistance.  

Wang's remarks also came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's announcement on Thursday that the Russia foreign ministry has accredited the first diplomat sent to Moscow by the Afghanistan Taliban government.

Lavrov said contacts like the China-hosted ministerial meeting "promote international recognition" of the Afghan interim government, Kabul is taking efforts to expand economic and diplomatic ties with Russia, Russian media outlet Tass reported.  

Global Times