The first “Belt and Road Initiative – South Asia Forum” was held by China-Pak Educational Cultural Institute (CPECI) on Sunday. Scholars and experts from Pakistan and China who attended the forum fully agreed that a peaceful Afghanistan is conducive to the development of South Asia and that the international community need even closer coordination and cooperation to promote stability in Afghanistan.
Prof. Tang Mengsheng, Director of Center for Pakistan Studies at Peking University, highlighted that Afghanistan is about to enter the stage of nation-building, and actively promoting the extension of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, will contribute to the development of South Asia.
Bilateral relations between China and Pakistan play a critical role in the regional situation. Emphasizing that the current situation in Afghanistan is the biggest factor affecting the regional situation, Mr. Chen Tiantang, Deputy Director of CPECI Liaoyuan South Asia Institute, underlined that it is necessary for China and Pakistan to work closely to cope with changes in the situation in Afghanistan. CPECI will constantly facilitate the construction of CPEC through local research in South Asia.
Mr. Ma Bin, Principal of CPECI, shared his views on Afghanistan’s economic construction, humanitarian assistance, and Chinese investment and construction. He mentioned that there is a severe shortage of food and medicine in Afghanistan, which needs supports from all sides.
Mr. Zhang Tingfeng, the first Chinese journalist to enter Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power, pointed out that since the establishment of the new deal of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the country has become more secure, and the support of the Afghan people for the new regime has undergone a qualitative change.
“China has long made it clear that it will not interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. At present, the views of the international community are different, but China has recognized and supported the international community on Afghanistan-related issues before and after the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan.” Mr. Zhang Tingfeng concluded.
