China urges more aid, engagement as Afghanistan crisis deepens

China called on the international community to step up aid and engagement with Afghanistan on Wednesday, noting that the country's humanitarian crisis could further deteriorate as foreign assistance declines.

Sun Lei, China's chargé d'affaires a.i. to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on Afghanistan that the country had maintained overall stability over the past five years and made progress in economic reconstruction, combating narcotics and external engagement.

But Afghanistan still faces "complex challenges" in humanitarian affairs, development, women's rights and counterterrorism, Sun said.

"The international community should view the situation in Afghanistan in a comprehensive and objective manner, take integrated measures and play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan realize lasting peace and stability at an early date," he said.

Sun called for continued dialogue with the Afghan government, urging countries to "cherish the outcomes of engagement and dialogue with the Afghan government, show good faith and stay patient".

He said the international community should engage with Afghanistan "on the basis of respecting Afghanistan's national conditions and stage of development" to build mutual trust, resolve differences and help the country gradually integrate into the international community.

The humanitarian situation remains particularly pressing, Sun said.

"At present, nearly half of the Afghan population needs humanitarian assistance. One-third of the people are facing acute food insecurity, and 3.7 million children under the age of five and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished," Sun said.

Only 30 percent of this year's humanitarian funding for Afghanistan is in place due to sharp declines in external aid, he said. "Large numbers of assistance programs have been forced to close", while returning refugees and natural disasters are likely to make the humanitarian crisis "even worse".

He called on all parties, "in particular traditional donors, to take urgent action to promptly fill the funding gap and avoid politicizing humanitarian issues".

"It must be stressed that development is the fundamental path for Afghanistan to overcome the humanitarian crisis and its dependence on foreign aid," he said.

Sun said relevant countries should "effectively bear their historical responsibilities by immediately resuming aid to Afghanistan, lifting unilateral sanctions on the country, promptly returning overseas assets of the Afghan central bank, and providing necessary resources for Afghanistan's reconstruction and development".

On women's rights, Sun said restrictions on Afghan women and girls in education, employment, healthcare and public life "not only affect the physical and mental health of women, but also undermine social stability and development prospects, hindering Afghanistan from gaining greater international support".

According to UNICEF, restrictions on women's education and employment cost Afghanistan's economy at least $84 million annually, Sun said.

"We call upon the Afghan government to prioritize the long-term development of the country and the fundamental interests of the people, effectively guarantee the fundamental rights and interests of all Afghans, including Afghan women, so that they will have an opportunity to contribute to developing and building the country," he said.

He also urged Kabul to lift restrictions on Afghan women working for the United Nations, saying they had played "an indispensable role in humanitarian assistance and other efforts".

On security, Sun said that "terrorism is the common enemy of humanity", and urged Afghanistan to intensify efforts against militant groups, including ISIS-K.

"We urge Afghanistan to demonstrate greater resolve and make greater efforts to eradicate all terrorist forces within its borders at an early date, and to respond in a concrete manner to the common concerns of the international community," Sun said.

China also supports regional platforms, including meetings of foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, working together with the Doha Process to "form greater synergies in stabilizing and helping Afghanistan".

"As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China stands ready to continue working with the international community in tireless efforts in support of Afghanistan's peace, stability, development and prosperity," Sun said.