China and Pakistan need to strengthen communication and coordination to support a stable transition in Afghanistan, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday.
He made the remarks in the evening during a phone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, which also covered bilateral ties and Dasu terrorist attack in Pakistan.
The so-called “democratic transformation” proved to be unrealistic, which only brought about hurtful consequences, Wang said, referring to the Afghan issue.
He called on China and Pakistan to play constructive roles in maintaining regional peace and stability, and offered the following four suggestions:
Firstly, the two sides should encourage all Afghan parties to strengthen solidarity, and to establish a new broad-based and inclusive political structure that is suited to the Afghan national conditions, and supported by the public.
Secondly, the two sides should support Afghanistan in its resolute fight against terrorism, and Afghanistan must not become a gathering place for terrorism again.
Thirdly, the two sides should contact and communicate with the Taliban in Afghanistan to ensure the safety of Chinese and Pakistani personnel and institutions there, as the Chinese and Pakistani embassies in Afghanistan are still operating normally.
Fourthly, the two sides should promote international cooperation involving Afghanistan in an orderly manner, and especially give play to the unique role of neighboring countries, so as to push the situation in Afghanistan gradually into a virtuous circle.
For his part, Qureshi said that as Afghanistan’s neighbors, Pakistan and China are countries most expecting Afghanistan to realize peace, and as all-weather strategic cooperative partners, they ought to strengthen coordination.
Afghanistan needs a political settlement through negotiations in the future, Qureshi said, noting that the domestic situation in Afghanistan is moving toward stability.
He added that all the parties should support the Taliban to implement its commitment and protect the rights and interests of the Afghan people.
Pakistan, he said, stands ready to strengthen communication with China, push the Taliban to work with all other parties to set up an inclusive and comprehensive political structure and establish a multilateral coordination mechanism involving the neighboring countries of Afghanistan.
Discussing the Dasu terrorist attack, Wang voiced his hope that Pakistan will make every effort to arrest the perpetrators, and punish them in accordance with the law.
He also hopes that Pakistan will accelerate to implement strengthened whole-process security measures and upgraded security cooperation mechanism to ensure that similar incidents will not happen again.
Qureshi said that Pakistan will make every effort to arrest the perpetrators.
Afghan displaced children who fled from their homes during the fights take shelter in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)
