The Afghan people have been devastated by war for too long time and peace is the common expectation of all walks of life in Afghanistan. The Afghan issue has long been of concern to all parties. However, the Afghan issue is complex and sensitive, and the concerned parties have yet to reach a general consensus on peaceful reconciliation. At present, peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan has reached a critical stage, and the Afghan people have never been so close to comprehensive peace in the past 40 years. After all, peace in Afghanistan needs to be resolved through internal reconciliation by the Afghans. The international community should provide comprehensive assistance. The multilateral mechanism, including the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan tripartite talks, may become important platforms for reconciliation for Afghan people.
The most positive change in the recent situation in Afghanistan is that the United States and the Taliban have opened direct dialogues. As two important parties in the current Afghan chaos, the direct negotiations between them are of great significance. Since October 2018, the United States and the Taliban have conducted 7 rounds of face-to-face negotiations. Although the demands of the two sides are not the same, they are all working towards the ultimate goal of ending the war. Judging from the public information, the two sides mainly discussed four points which are anti-terrorism commitments, US withdrawal, internal dialogue and permanent ceasefire. A Taliban spokesman recently said that the two sides have reached a principled consensus on this. The representative of the United States on Afghanistan, Mr. Khalizad, stressed that the United States is seeking a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a simple withdrawal agreement. It should be said that the dawn of peace in Afghanistan has begun to appear and requires the care of all parties.
The governance of Afghanistan has gotten comprehensive achievements too. The Afghan parliament successfully completed the general election, although there had been some disputes in the determination of the Speaker of the House of Commons. The fourth presidential election in Afghanistan after 2001, will also be held in September this year. In addition, Afghan society has made significant progress in the fields of enrollment of school-age children and the protection of women’s rights and diversity of national culture.
At the same time, the attention of regional countries and international community to the issue of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan has reached an unprecedented level. Regional countries including China and Pakistan, as well as many extraterritorial countries and international organizations, are striving to mediate peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and are doing their best to provide help and assistance. Peace and stability in Afghanistan are of great significance to regional countries. China has repeatedly stressed that China is highly concerned about the evolution of the situation in Afghanistan in recent years and has always played an active role in promoting the process of peace in Afghanistan. It has always supported the “Afghan-lead and Afghan-owned” peaceful process.
The peace in Afghanistan has reached a critical crossroads. The Afghan parties should seize the opportunity to achieve internal reconciliation and strengthen mutual trust with important neighboring countries. This is the only way out for peace in Afghanistan.
First of all, all political factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan should face the future, seek common ground while reserving differences. Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic country, and at the same time, it has formed numerous political factions in the process of resisting foreign aggression and political construction. All ethnic groups and factions have the same goal in achieving national peace, but there are many differences in terms of specific operations. It should be said that no national or political faction can obtain an absolute advantage in the future governance system. The government should take full care of the legitimate concerns of various ethnic groups and factions, and coordinate the legitimate needs of them in the process of national reconciliation. In the major issues such as negotiating with Taliban, the unified voice should be issued to further strengthen the cohesiveness of the central government.
Secondly, the Afghan government and the Taliban should realize face-to-face dialogue as soon as possible, and seek consensus on the future of the country within the framework of internal dialogue. Whether at political or military level, the existence of Taliban is a reality and an important party for the complete realization of peaceful reconciliation in Afghanistan. Relying on military strikes cannot completely eliminate existence of Taliban. At the same time, Taliban side should accept and take seriously the legal status of Afghan elected government and regard Afghan government as an indispensable party for peace talks. After all, Afghan reconciliation is the Afghan’s own reconciliation. After all, it is necessary to rely on internal dialogue to reach a consensus and be fully implemented by Afghans themselves. The Afghan parties should face the reality, adhere to the principle with showing a flexible attitude, and avoid Afghanistan from falling into the quagmire of civil war.
Third, mutual trust between Afghanistan and Pakistan should be further strengthened to break the security predicament and build a security community. Pakistan plays an essential and crucial role in the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. Pakistan has made tremendous sacrifices and significant contributions in the battlefield against terrorism. Afghanistan and Pakistan are connected by each other, and peace and stability in Afghanistan have a positive impact on Pakistan. Further strengthening of mutual trust between the two countries will not only promote the realization of peaceful reconciliation in Afghanistan, but also will maintain stability in the surrounding environment for Pakistan. It is clearly a case of: “United we stand, divided we fall”.
Afghanistan is located at the intersection of Central Asia, South Asia and West Asia and has important geostrategic advantage. The Afghan issue is sensitive because it has never been a simple internal problem. Regional countries and the international community should help Afghanistan to promote reconciliation from the height of regional and global development. China is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council among the neighboring countries of Afghanistan. It is a trustworthy partner of all factions in Afghanistan and a staunch supporter of peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan have borders of more than 2,000 kilometers, with similar positions, cultural connections and interests. China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners, and the two countries have a firm and consistent position on the issue of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. China and Pakistan have promoted peace through various channels, especially the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The dialogue between our three foreign ministers has been successfully held twice. The Afghan reconciliation process is facing important opportunities. The three parties are willing to strengthen coordination and push Taliban back to negotiating table with Afghan government as soon as possible and return to political mainstream.
The members of Shanghai Cooperation Organization are mostly bordered with Afghanistan or geographically close to Afghanistan. Their stability and development are affected by Afghan issue to varying degrees. China and Pakistan are full members and Afghanistan is an observer of the organization. Since its inception, Afghan issue has always been an important concern. In June 2019, the “SCO-Afghanistan Liaison Group” meeting was held in Bishkek to further strengthen the coordination of SCO on the Afghan issue. China has repeatedly expressed its support for SCO’s more active role in Afghan issue and also supports Afghanistan’s participation in pragmatic cooperation within the framework of SCO. The development of domestic situation in Afghanistan has always been the focus of attention of SCO.
Historically, Afghanistan was an important country and transportation hub of the ancient Silk Road, and it was a bridge between Chinese and Western civilizations. From here, the Silk Road extends southward to South Asia and India, west to West Asia, the Arab countries and even Europe. Kabul, Balkh, Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan had been important stations and commercial cities on the ancient Silk Road. In addition, Afghanistan is rich in natural resources. The US military and geologists have estimated that Afghanistan’s mineral resources exceed $1 trillion at least. Afghanistan is a treasure to be developed. More importantly, the Afghan side has a strong will to dock with “Belt and Road initiative” proposed by China. Some Afghan leader told reporters that “China’s ‘BRI’ is conducive to promoting the integration of trade and investment in Asia and Europe. Afghanistan hopes to fully integrate into the development of regional economy and play the role of a bridge on Asian continent.” Just as the foreign ministers of our three countries said in the end of last year, after the second dialogue meeting in Kabul, the three parties agreed to jointly promote the construction of the “BRI”and promote regional interconnection and economic development. China and Pakistan support Afghanistan’s geographical advantage and regional cooperation projects including the CPEC.
There is a saying in China that a near neighbor is better than a distant relative. The Chinese people always have great goodwill and respect for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is believed that with our joint efforts, the problems of concern to all parties in the region will be properly resolved at an early date.
