Screenshot of UN website

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Fu Cong on Wednesday emphasized at the UN Security Council that the eradication of various terrorist forces in the country is a strong expectation of the international community, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Terrorism is a malignant tumor threatening Afghanistan's stability and development. China urges the Afghan government to correctly understand the counter-terrorism issue, fulfill its counter-terrorism commitments, take more resolute and forceful action to eliminate all terrorist forces based in Afghanistan and win the trust of regional countries and the international community. In the face of terrorism, a common enemy of humanity, the international community must strengthen solidarity and cooperation, discard ideological prejudices and geopolitical calculations, and oppose double standards or selective approaches, Fu said.

Fu said that it is increasingly necessary to sustain the momentum of interaction between the international community and the Afghan government to promote continuous improvement in the situation in Afghanistan. The Security Council should respond to the evolving needs by adjusting its sanctions mechanism against Afghanistan in a timely manner, resuming the exemption arrangements for the comprehensive travel ban as soon as possible, and creating conditions for facilitating engagement. 

The international community should take urgent action to help Afghanistan swiftly overcome the humanitarian crisis and achieve self-reliant development. Relevant countries should immediately and unconditionally unfreeze and return the overseas assets of the Afghan central bank and lift illegal unilateral sanctions, Fu said. 

Safeguarding women's equal rights to education, healthcare, employment, and participation in public affairs aligns with the long-term and fundamental interests of Afghanistan. China calls on the Afghan government to heed the reasonable appeals of the international community and the Afghan people, and to effectively ensure the fundamental rights of all citizens, including women, the Chinese envoy said.

Recently, Chinese nationals were attacked and suffered casualties at the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border. China strongly condemns the incident and has requested Afghanistan to conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation, swiftly apprehend the perpetrators, and bring them to justice, Fu said.

China calls on both Tajikistan and Afghanistan to take effective measures to strengthen border controls and enhance the protection of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions, he noted.

Nearly 22 million people will need assistance next year, with Afghanistan now ranking among the world's largest humanitarian crises, according to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.

Global Times