Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday announced that his country will not charge tariffs for 98 percent of goods originating from Afghanistan, while also hoping to see more specialities imported from the South Asian country.
Wang made the remarks while speaking to the acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is being held in Uzbekistan starting Thursday.
The Chinese diplomat also spoke highly of the “firm attitude” that the Afghan government has shown on drugs, and said the world’s second largest economy is willing to help the country develop instead of the cultivate drugs.
According to reports, there are around three million drug addicts in Afghanistan. The Taliban-led caretaker government has vowed to fight against poppy cultivation and the opium trade in the war-torn country.
For his part, Muttaqi first thanked China for its emergency humanitarian assistance supplied after a strong earthquake hit southeastern Afghanistan in June. More than 1,000 people were killed, and nearly 2,000 others were injured.
On behalf of the government, Muttaqi vowed to continue their efforts in cracking down on drug trafficking, and hoped to learn the modern agricultural technology from China to benefit its people. He added that he hopes China could offer support in the government’s global recognition. – CGTN
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