China, Afghan presidents hold talks

Mar 24, 2010, 12:36 GMT

Beijing - Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, on Wednesday held talks that were to focus on security and China's economic assistance to Afghanistan.

Chinese state media quoted Hu as telling Karzai that China wanted to 'advance practical cooperation and lift the two countries' comprehensive partnership to new levels.'

During talks at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Karzai thanked China for the 'support and encouragement it had given Afghanistan' in recent years, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The two sides were expected to sign three trade deals and an agreement on a 160-million-yuan (23.4-million-dollar) aid package to Afghanistan during Karzai's three-day visit, the Afghan presidential office said in a statement.

Other planned agreements covered the elimination of customs duties and Chinese help in the fields of communications, the economy, anti-narcotics, education and health, the statement said of Karzai's trip, which began Tuesday.

Ahead of Wednesday's talks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China attached 'great importance' to bilateral ties and hoped to see 'peace and stability' in Afghanistan, which shares a short border with China's far west in the Pamir Mountains.

'We would like to be actively involved in the peaceful reconstruction process in Afghanistan, as always, and provide assistance within our capacity,' Qin said.

State media said the Afghan foreign minister, defence minister and about 20 business executives would travel with Karzai to China.

The China Daily newspaper said China had given aid worth 175 million dollars to Afghanistan since 2002 to help with infrastructure projects, plus another 75 million dollars in the past few months.

'This unconditional assistance has helped in the construction of schools, hospitals, roads and waterworks,' the newspaper said.

But Zhang Xiaodong, an expert at the Chinese Association for Middle East Studies, told the newspaper that China was 'not likely' to agree to any military involvement in Afghanistan.