China hosts third multinational meeting to discuss Afghanistan
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Loading... - Haoyu Xiao
- 31 Mar 2022
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday hosted the third multinational meeting to discuss the economic and humanitarian crisis facing Afghanistan.
Foreign ministers and other representatives from Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan exchanged views and coordinated positions on promoting stability in Afghanistan and helping and supporting the Afghan people, an official statement said following the meeting in the ancient town of Tunxi in east China's Anhui Province.
A separate meeting of the "extended troika" will involve special envoys from China, the United States and Russia.
The talks come as Afghanistan suffers a deep economic crisis made worse by deep cuts in international aid in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of the country.
According to the United Nations, acute famine has affected around 23 million Afghans, while 95 percent of the population don't have enough to eat.
The Taliban has pleaded for aid, but the path has been bumpy. The World Bank on Wednesday suspended four projects in the country after the group's leaders reversed a decision to allow girls to return to public high schools.
Billions of dollars of Afghan central bank assets held in the U.S. are still being frozen, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
Ukraine and bilateral ties
Ahead of Thursday's multinational meeting, Wang discussed bilateral ties and Ukraine with his counterparts from Russia and Pakistan separately on Wednesday.
China and Russia "have a firmer will to develop bilateral relations, and stronger confidence to advance cooperation in various areas," Wang said in his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Read More...
