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China pledges $75m in aid for Afghanistan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-01 11:07

THE HAGUE - China announced on Tuesday that it would provide US$75 million of aid to Afghanistan in the next five years.

The pledge was announced by China's Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei at an international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague.

Wu said China will continue to provide assistance in areas like capacity building at the request of the Afghan government and will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to take part in Afghan reconstruction.

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He also stressed the need to fight terrorism and to support the Aug. 20 presidential elections.

"The Chinese side strongly supports the endeavor to combat terrorism in all manifestations. At the same time, we maintain that counter-terrorism efforts should be made to address both the symptoms and the root causes, and particularly to avoid civilian casualties. Efforts should be made to eliminate the hotbed of terrorism through peaceful development," Wu told the conference.

He said China supports efforts to strengthen capacity building in Afghanistan and hopes that the Afghan government and army can assume, at an early date, the responsibility of maintaining their own national security and stability.

To ensure smooth elections in August is an important task facing Afghanistan, said Wu. It also constitutes a key precondition to political stability and peaceful reconstruction of the country, he added.

"We call on the international community to provide financial and security assistance and create favorable conditions for steady and smooth elections," he said.

He noted that Afghanistan needs continued attention and assistance from the international community, and that it is the responsibility of all parties to act in coordination at both the international and regional levels.

China hopes the United Nations will continue to play a leading role in coordinating international assistance efforts for Afghanistan. China, as a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, favors an active role of the organization in Afghanistan, he said.