On May 2, Yue Xiaoyong, special envoy on Afghan Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and a China Forum expert, gave an interview on Afghanistan to Qatar Tribune.

The UN meeting on Afghanistan was the first of its kind since the Taliban made a return to power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, which featured informal discussions among the concerned parties on how to arrive at a political solution to the Afghan issue, said Yue. China attaches great importance to the role of the UN in resolving regional and international issues, and supports the convening of this meeting, he said, urging relevant parties to maintain dialogue and contact with the Afghan interim government so that the country and the international community can better understand each other’s concerns.

The US should take the main responsibility for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong believes. China will work with Afghanistan’s neighbors and other regional powers to help the country address terrorism, poverty, women’s and girls’ rights, regional security and other challenges, so that it can restore stability and development, said Yue.

Humanitarian assistance remains important for Afghanistan, said Yue. He stressed that other countries should respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity as well as its right to find its own path of development. He also pointed out that the Taliban in Afghanistan should, as it has promised, cut off its ties with terrorist organizations and fight terrorism resolutely and effectively, in order to create a favorable environment for the country’s reconstruction and development.