China, US support ‘Afghan-led, Afghan-owned’ peace

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China and the United States back an “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned” peace in Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said after the issue was discussed by President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump during bilateral talks on Thursday.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters the two sides “support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconstruction process” and are ready to play a positive role in promoting stability in the Asian country that has been riven by militancy.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying /Xinhua Photo

Hua said the Chinese and US leaders called on relevant parties in Afghanistan to achieve “extensive and inclusive national reconciliation through political negotiation at an early date and stand ready to play a positive role through such mechanisms as the Quadrilateral Coordination Group of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States.”

In statements to the press after bilateral talks on Thursday, President Xi noted that the leaders had discussed Afghanistan and President Trump added that the countries were “committed to working toward a peaceful future for Afghanistan.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on November 9, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"China and the US will cooperate on Afghanistan in areas like anti-drugs, post-war reconstruction and personnel training," An Gang, a member of the academic committee at the Pangoal Institution, a Beijing-based think tank, told the Global Times.

“The US operation in Afghanistan will also reduce pressure on China's counter-terrorism efforts in the northwest border, so this is a perfect example of Sino-US win-win cooperation.”

The US currently has around 15,000 troops in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported this week, and on Monday submitted a 1.2 billion US dollars budget request to Congress to increase troop numbers.

Counter-terrorism cooperation

Hua said China and the United States have “important shared interests in combating terrorism and upholding regional peace and tranquility” and said China is prepared to further step up cooperation in this regard with the US and other relevant parties.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Special Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs Tasnim Aslam of Pakistan and Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai of Afghanistan in Beijing on November 7, 2017. /FMPRC Photo‍

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Pakistani Foreign Ministry Special Secretary Tasnim Aslam and Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai on November 7 to discuss further counter-terrorism cooperation.

The spokeswoman added that China is ready to continue enhancing security cooperation with Pakistan and Afghanistan to address threats posed by terrorism and jointly maintain regional peace

Hua also noted that the Trilateral Vice-Ministerial Consultation on Counter-Terrorism and Security between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan was held in Beijing on November 7.

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