Exclusive for Daily Outlook Afghanistan
Recently, some Afghan friends have asked me similar questions in various occasions: Will China abandon Afghanistan after 2014? Will China continue to assist Afghan brothers? How is the prospect of China-Afghanistan future relationship? Are Chinese companies the sort of snobbish merchants who are hungry for money and yet run away in time of trouble?
In my view, these questions reflect not only the Afghan friends' concerns and thoughts about the future of their motherland, but also their willingness to enhance China-Afghanistan relationship with acknowledgement of China's role. To answer these questions, it is necessary to review the history of interactions between the two countries, and to correctly understand the China's policy towards Afghanistan and China's view on future Afghanistan.
History is a mirror for reality and future. China and Afghanistan are friendly neighbors and good partners, and their friendship can be traced back to over 2000 years ago. Mr. Zhang Qian, a famous Chinese diplomat of the Han Dynasty then, went far into Central Asia twice and ushered in the well-known "Silk Road", of which Afghanistan located as the hub.
The peoples of the two countries exchanged goods and technology through the "Silk Road", which tremendously promoted the development of productivity mutually. Some of the popular agricultural products including linseed, grape, carrot and broad bean were originally introduced to China by the Afghans. The cultural exchanges were even more spectacular. The three major religions in the world were spread to China all through Afghanistan. Some of the best-known monks in China were in reality Afghans. Some eminent Chinese monks, including Xuan Zang, visited Afghanistan on their way to India for Buddhist scriptures.
The official and people-to-people exchanges were quite often recorded in history books. In 1955, China and Afghanistan established diplomatic relations of the ambassadorial level, which was upgraded to the Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership in 2006. The two countries have ever since kept frequent high-level exchanges and fruitful cooperation in terms of politics, economy, non-traditional security and culture.
The sound development of China-Afghanistan relationship has rich historical background, pervasive public support and realistic significance, serving as a perfect example of mutual respect and support among developing countries. Currently, China-Afghanistan relationship is entering a new stage of rapid development, which not only fits the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, but also benefits regional peace, stability and prosperity.
A lot of things could be changed, except the fact that China and Afghanistan are fraternal neighbors as closely related as lips and teeth. Just as a Chinese Proverb says "a fire on the city gate brings disaster to the fish in the moat". In this sense, China cannot "withdraw" in any circumstance. The Chinese people expect to see a peaceful, stable, independent and developing Afghanistan more than others. The road to happiness for the Afghan people is strewn with setbacks. The Afghan peace and reconstruction process is going through a tough yet promising stage.
The Afghan government pushes forward the domestic agenda in an effectively and orderly manner. The "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" political reconciliation process has given us a ray of hope. The security situation on the ground is getting better. The Afghan National Security Force has made good progress in terms of capability building, which laid good foundation for taking over full security responsibilities. The reconstruction process is gaining good momentum. The Afghan economic ties with its neighboring countries are being strengthened day by day.
The connectivity construction projects have just unfolded, and the rich natural resources in Afghanistan have attracted companies from a number of countries to invest in. The livelihood of the Afghan people is being enhanced. Human rights, in particular women's rights are taken good care of. The civil society is also developing. Afghanistan's relations with regional countries and countries all over the world are developing smoothly. Afghanistan is finalizing or negotiating strategic partnership agreements with many countries.
International conferences on Afghanistan are frequently convened, which shows the consistent support and commitment to Afghanistan by the international community. China is pleased to see every new achievement in the Afghan peace and reconstruction process.
China's policy on Afghanistan is clear and consistent, the core of which is that we sincerely hope Afghanistan achieve peace, stability, independence and development, respect the path of development chosen by the Afghan people and help the Afghans live comfortably and work happily. There is no hidden selfish intention on the part of China. We call on the related parties to withdraw their forces in a responsible manner, to ensure the peace and stability of Afghanistan, and to facilitate the Afghan government to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding security.
China will in its own way continue to provide assistance to the Afghan security forces within its capacity, and help Afghanistan strengthen its security capability. We support the peace and reconciliation process led by the Afghan government, and congratulate Mr. Salahuddin Rabbani on his inauguration as the new Chairman of High Peace Council. It is our sincere hope that the peace talks will work and yield results as soon as possible, so as to lay the foundation for long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan.
China is committed to enhancing communications and interactions with all circles of Afghanistan to deepen the mutual trust and cooperation, and making due contribution to the Afghan peace and reconciliation drive. We support the Afghan government to develop external relations with other countries, especially regional countries on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. It is our pleasure to see Afghanistan emerge as an active player in all-round cooperation and exchanges within the region.
China seriously fulfils its commitments to help the Afghan economy and social development, providing assistance to the Afghan government through bilateral channel which matches the efforts of maintaining security and stability with those of improving the livelihood of the Afghan people and aims at making the Afghan people enjoy peace and happiness as soon as possible. In the 1960s and 1970s, China helped with its own funding the Afghans to construct several major projects like Parwan Irrigation Project, Bagrami Textile Mill, and Kandahar Hospital, which are still highly evaluated by the Afghans today.
Over the past 10 years, China has been providing considerable grant aid to Afghanistan, building hospitals, irritation works, schools and office buildings, promoting mutual cooperation in such areas as the media, parliaments and local governments, training the Afghan officials and professionals, offering scholarships to Afghan students, and establishing a Confucius Institution in Kabul University as a platform for those interested in Mandarin and the Chinese culture.
As a Chinese saying goes, "to teach fishing is better than to give fish", we hold that aid does not mean "squandering money". Instead, aid should also be given in a responsible manner, aimed at enhancing Afghanistan's capability of sustainable development and enabling them to refrain from aid-reliance. The Chinese companies investing and doing business in Afghanistan are expected to make considerable revenue to the Afghan government, beef up the local infrastructure construction and promote local employment. Its spillover effect and social benefits are outstanding.
This way of "teaching fishing" with win-win results is the most direct, efficient and sustainable model of assistance, a most safe short-cut for Afghanistan to shake off poverty and get developed, which should not be interpreted in a suspicious and distorted way. In the future, China will continue to help Afghanistan develop its economy and push forward "Kabul Process", respect the leading role of Afghanistan in its reconstruction drive, encourage the Chinese companies to invest and do business in Afghanistan, as well as provide substantial and timely assistance. To sum up, please be assured that China, as the most trustworthy friend of Afghanistan, is fully confident in the future of Afghanistan and will always stand side by side with Afghanistan and its people.