Afghan leader promises to secure Chinese interests

Oct 15, 2009, 11:24 GMT

   Beijing - Afghan Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili on Thursday promised that his government would do its best to secure Chinese interests in the country, one week after an al-Qaeda leader urged Muslims to begin a holy war against China.

   'The Afghan government will try its best to safeguard the security of Chinese institutions and personnel in Afghanistan,' Khalili said during talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

   Afghanistan hoped to 'deepen the two nations' practical cooperation' and complete implementation of all joint projects, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Khalili as saying.

   Khalili said Afghanistan welcomed Chinese enterprises to 'expand investment in its infrastructure and other projects.'

   Wen was quoted as saying that China would 'continue to support Afghanistan's reconstruction and make efforts to expand bilateral cooperation.'

   Wen said China hoped Afghanistan would move towards peace, stability and development, urging the international community to give greater support and 'pay more attention to the Afghan people's living standards.'

   He said China had 'always respected Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,' according to a report posted on the ministry's official website.

   China has a growing number of infrastructure projects and commercial interests in Afghanistan, including the huge Aynak Copper Mine, which is estimated to hold up to 13 million tons of copper.

   Initial investment in Anyak was about 4 billion dollars and total investment could rise to 10 billion dollars on completion of the project, the Afghan ambassador to China told Chinese state television in August.

   In a video distributed last week, a senior al-Qaeda leader urged Muslims to launch a holy war against Chinese 'invaders' in response to the alleged 'massacre' of Uighurs in China's far-western region of Xinjiang, which borders eastern Afghanistan.

   'The atheist criminals have long used the most despicable, cruel and brutal means against Muslims in Turkestan (Xinjiang),' said Abu Yayha al-Libi, who is sometimes identified as the commander in Afghanistan of the international terrorist network al-Qaeda.

   Al-Libi said Muslims 'must sincerely prepare for jihad (holy war) and take up arms against the ruthless invaders.'

   Uighurs are a mainly Muslim ethnic group with historical and linguistic ties to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia.

   In early July, nearly 200 people were killed and thousands injured or arrested in clashes between Uighurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang. which many Uighurs seeking independence from China call East Turkestan.