Displaced Afghans who have migrated from areas such as Kunduz, Tahar, Baghlan and Daykundi to Kabul at a tent site, September 2, 2021. /CFP
A Chinese envoy on Thursday expressed the hope that Afghanistan would be able to make the right choice and find a development path that is suited to its national conditions.
The Taliban have announced the formation of an interim government in Afghanistan – a necessary step toward restoring order and post-war reconstruction, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
"We hope that the Taliban will learn lessons from history, honor its commitments, unite all ethnic groups and factions, build a broad-based and inclusive political architecture, pursue moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, protect the rights and interests of women and children, resolutely combat terrorist groups, and develop friendly and cooperative relations with other countries, not least its neighbors," he told the Security Council.
"Today, Afghanistan stands at a historic crossroads. We sincerely hope that Afghanistan can make the right choice and find a development path that is suited to its national conditions."
China welcomes UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' convening of an international conference on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan slated for Monday in Geneva and hopes the international community, major donor countries in particular, will step up assistance to the country, Geng said.
An Afghan man pans gold as he makes his living by extracting gold from a stream deposit for his 21 person-family in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 7, 2021. /CFP
At the same time, the international community, he said, should help Afghanistan tap into its advantages in natural endowment, geographical location and human resources, carry out regional cooperation and connectivity activities, promote economic and social development, and improve the well-being of its people.
One of the major causes for the current economic difficulties in Afghanistan is the freezing of Afghan's overseas assets, Geng noted, adding that these assets belong to Afghanistan and should be used for Afghanistan, not as leverage for threat or restraints.
The United States froze nearly $9.5 billion Afghan reserves belonging to the Afghan central bank in mid-August after the Taliban took control of Kabul.
Geng also commented on the U.S.-led military operation in Afghanistan during the past two decades.
"Only history can do justice to what has happened in Afghanistan over the past 20 years," he said. "The recent abrupt changes in Afghanistan remind us once again that military interventions and power politics cannot gain popularity, and foreign models and democratic transformations are hard pressed to gain a foothold."
The U.S. completed the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan on August 30.
(With input from Xinhua)