Promise of US$9.87m in aid to Afghanistan
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-02 07:15

LONDON: China will provide 80 million yuan (US$9.87 million) in aid to Afghanistan this year, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Tuesday.

China will offer long-term assistance and engage in long-term co-operation with Afghanistan in the spirit of mutual benefit and common development, Li said at an international conference on Afghan reconstruction hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Besides the aid, China will levy no tariff on most Afghan exports this year, Li said.

It will continue to support the Afghan Government's anti-terror efforts and help train more Afghan police officers, Li said.

China will work with the international community to tackle the booming drug production in Afghanistan, which is said to be the source of nearly 90 per cent of the world's opium and heroin, Li said.

The top Chinese diplomat said the country's firms have been encouraged to participate in the reconstruction projects in Afghanistan and to invest in such fields as infrastructure, electricity, mineral resources and transportation.

Envoys from nearly 70 nations and international bodies, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, attended the conference and signed a five-year blueprint for helping the war-shattered Central Asian country on the road to peace and self-sufficiency. The plan, known as the "Afghanistan Compact," sets out specific targets for boosting economic and social development, bolstering security, enhancing governance, strengthening the rule of law and improving human rights conditions.

Xinhua

(China Daily 02/02/2006 page1)