China’s FM urges Washington to work toward solutions

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Washington to act with sincerity and work toward solutions on a variety of hot-spot issues including Afghanistan.

Addressing the ninth World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Wang said since the US military began withdrawing from Afghanistan, violence has spiked and the urgent need for humanitarian assistance has increased substantially.

China Daily reported that according to Wang, the top priority in Afghanistan is to maintain peace and stability and to prevent wars and chaos.

In line with this, he said the United States, as the initiator of the Afghanistan issue, should ensure a smooth transition during the troops withdrawal process and ensure its done “in a responsible manner”.

On Iran’s nuclear issue, Wang said the US should correct its mistakes and take the initiative to lift illegal, unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran and third parties in an all-around, clean and thorough manner, China Daily reported.
Former President Hamid Karzai also spoke, via video link, during the World Peace Forum, and said that China, in particular, can play a significant role in improving Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan.

“It’s committed also to peace and stability to Afghanistan and the region, China is also a great friend of Pakistan, and Pakistan is the biggest neighbor of Afghanistan as well.

“Afghanistan, Pakistan and China are neighbors. We are connected geographically. China plays a very important role, a significant role in improving the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in makes sure that a synchronized relationship is established between the two countries.

“So this way, I as an Afghan, feel a lot more hopeful towards a better future than I was before, because we are now on our own, and it is in our interest in Afghanistan, and certainly in our neighborhood, to bring peace to Afghanistan, and if we join hands, we will certainly gain it sooner rather than later,” said Karzai.