A treaty on friendly cooperation which also pledged to
strengthen links on security matters was signed Monday by the
Presidents of China and Afghanistan?
The two countries would exert joint efforts to fight the "three
evil forces" of separatism, extremism and terrorism as well as
transnational crimes, Chinese President Hu Jintao said in talks with the visiting
Afghan leader Hamid Karzai before the treaty was signed.
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"China will implement the treaty which will assist substantiate and
cement the China-Afghanistan all-round cooperative partnership," Hu
said.
Hu spoke highly of the progress of China-Afghanistan relations
and expressed his appreciation for the Afghan government placing
emphasis on bilateral relations and its support for the one-China
policy.
He noted that with the concerted efforts of both countries
relations had progressed well since the establishment of the new
Afghan government.
"The two sides share frequent high-level exchanges, fruitful
cooperation in various fields and good coordination on
international and regional issues which we are satisfied with," Hu
added.
Hu emphasized that China respected the social system and
development path chosen by the Afghan people. China would support
the government's efforts to safeguard national independence,
sovereignty and territorial integrity, the maintenance of social
stability and the development of the economy. He gave an assurance
that China would actively participate in the reconstruction
process.
Hu said China would expand cooperation with Afghanistan in
economy and trade, transportation, telecommunications, agriculture,
water resource utilization as well as education, cultural exchanges
and human resources development.
?"China is also willing to offer intellectual support for
Afghanistan's social and economic reconstruction process," Hu
said.
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China valued the communication and coordination with Afghanistan in
international and regional affairs and was willing to work within
multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization and the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation, Hu added.
Karzai said China, a significant neighbor of Afghanistan, was
playing an important role in the country's reconstruction.
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Afghanistan welcomed Chinese companies to participate in its
economic redevelopment and was willing to maintain long-term and
good relations with China, added Karzai.
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He also expressed his appreciation of China's firm political
support and economic assistance which was making a major
contribution to the country's reconstruction.
The Afghan government would continue to uphold the one-China
policy and was willing to strengthen cooperation in international
and regional affairs, said Karzai. He added that he was happy for
Afghanistan to act as a bridge for China's cooperation with central
Asian countries.
Karzai arrived in Beijing on Sunday evening on a four-day state
visit.
(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2006)