China Delivers First Batch Of Aid Worth $31 Million To Taliban Govt, Haqqani Terms Nation As Good Friend Of Afghanistan

China and Pakistan are said to be closely coordinating with Russia on Afghanistan and are reportedly trying to establish a new grouping of nations sharing borders with the Taliban-ruled country.

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New Delhi: China delivered the first batch of its humanitarian assistance worth USD 31 million, comprising emergency supplies such as blankets and jackets, to the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan.

The supplies donated by China arrived at the Kabul International Airport on Wednesday night, and have been handed over to the Afghanistan side, news agency PTI credited state-run Xinhua as informing.

As per the report, China's Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Acting Minister of Refugee Affairs of the Afghan caretaker government Haqqani attended the handover ceremony at the airport.

Ambassador Wang Yu stated that amid many difficulties, China has managed to arrange the emergency humanitarian aid materials for Afghanistan in a short time, which included blankets, down jackets and other winter supplies urgently needed by the Afghan people.

China will continue to prepare for other materials, including food aid, which is expected to arrive before long, he added.

Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani thanked China for providing the emergency supplies.

He also termed China as a good neighbour and friend of Afghanistan, expressing hope for China to provide further assistance in the future, the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN-TV) reported, as mentioned in the PTI report.

Afghanistan, which faces extremely grave economic and livelihood difficulties, urgently needs assistance from the international community in various fields, Haqqani said.

He stressed that Afghanistan will honour its commitments to its neighbours and the international community. This comment can be seen in reference to the Taliban’s assurance over forming an inclusive government and not allowing foreign militant groups to operate from the territory.

China, Pakistan Closely Coordinating With Russia

The aid comes at a time when China is yet to officially recognise the Taliban’s interim government much like the rest of the world. 

Meanwhile, China has kept its embassy in Kabul open along with Pakistan and Russia while the missions of other countries were shut after the Taliban’s unexpectedly rapid takeover of the war-torn country last month.

Previously, on September 21-22, Special envoys of China, Russia and Pakistan met the top officials of the Taliban's interim government along with former Afghan leaders Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul. They discussed the formation of an inclusive government, combating terrorism and humanitarian situation.

China and Pakistan are said to be closely coordinating with Russia on Afghanistan and are reportedly trying to establish a new grouping of nations sharing borders with the Taliban-ruled country, these include China, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The Foreign Ministers of the group held a virtual meeting on September 7.

Speaking in New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on September 26 said that Russia, China, Pakistan and the US are working together to ensure that the Taliban rulers keep up their promises, especially to form a genuinely representative government and prevent extremism from spreading.

He had noted that the interim government announced by the Taliban does not reflect “the whole gamut of Afghan society -- ethno-religious and political forces -- so we are engaging in contacts. They are ongoing”, PTI reported.

“What's most important is to ensure that the promises that they have proclaimed publicly are kept. And for us, that is the top priority,” Lavrov added.

(With Agency Inputs)