President stresses strong ties with Afghanistan

President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China will play a positive role, as always, in a political settlement of the Afghan issue, and he expressed hope that Afghanistan could strengthen security protection of Chinese nationals and organizations in the country.

Xi made the remark in a telephone conversation with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. He also had separate phone conversations with Maldives President Ibrahim Solih and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on Friday.

Speaking to Ghani, Xi said China firmly supports the Afghan government in upholding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, which, he said, are in the interests of the Afghan people as well as those of the countries in the region.

China maintains that political dialogue is the fundamental approach for Afghanistan to realize national reconciliation and long-lasting peace, he said, adding that Beijing remains committed to an "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" principle and supports the Afghan peace and reconciliation process as well as the country's peaceful rebuilding as soon as possible.

Saying that Beijing is happy to see the positive consensus recently reached in intra-Afghan negotiations in Teheran, the capital of Iran, Xi expressed hope that parties involved will put Afghan people's interests first to find political solutions through negotiations at an early date.

He also talked about the two countries' mutual support in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, saying China is willing to continue to provide assistance to Afghanistan.

Ghani said that the Afghan government remains committed to a political resolution of the current crisis to realize sustained peace in the country.

China has been a significant and positive role player in safeguarding regional security and stability, Ghani said, adding that he wants Beijing to continue to play an important role in advancing a political settlement of the Afghan issue.

In a telephone conversation with Solih, Xi said China and the Maldives have set an example of big and small countries treating each other as equals for mutual benefit and win-win results.

He recalled that both countries had supported each other since the start of the pandemic, saying that China stands ready to continue to provide vaccine support to the Maldives to help it prevail over the disease.

China is willing to work with the Maldives to advance Belt and Road cooperation to deliver more benefits to the two peoples, Xi said, and the two countries should also strengthen mutual support to uphold international fairness and justice and safeguard the shared interests of developing countries, as well as advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Solih congratulated the Communist Party of China on the 100th anniversary of its founding, saying that under the leadership of Xi－who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee－the country has become an important force to advance equality, prosperity and cooperation among all countries.

His country remains committed to the one-China policy and wants to actively promote Belt and Road cooperation, he added.

While speaking to Khurelsukh, Xi said that China and Mongolia are enjoying more and more shared interests. Both countries should mutually respect their independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the development path chosen by the two peoples on their own, he said, adding they should care for and support each other's core interests and major concerns.

China is willing to intensify coordination and cooperation with Mongolia, stick to true multilateralism and advance the building of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, Xi said.