Beijing to hold ministerial-level meeting of Afghanistan's Neighbors

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China will hold a meeting at the level of foreign ministers, that will group Afghanistan's neighboring countries.

The objective of this meeting, the third of its kind, is to contribute to the achievement of long-term stability in Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.

"China will hold the third meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring countries at the appropriate time to benefit fully from advantages of neighboring countries, highlight their features, and play a positive role in achieving a long-term order and long-term stability in Afghanistan," Wang told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a phone conversation.

Amir-Abdollahian stressed that Iran fully supports this meeting, and that it is ready for close cooperation with China. 

China to Facilitate Visa Requirements for Afghan Businessmen

China had already announced in October it will facilitate visa requirements for Afghan businessmen, the Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu asserted to the country’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Following a meeting between the two, the Afghan Foreign Ministry released a statement saying “at the request of Muttaqi, the Chinese side promised to ensure the simplification of the procedure for issuing visas to Afghan entrepreneurs.”

The strengthening of ties between the two has been accelerating in the past few months following the hasty retreat of US troops from Afghanistan. During that time, the Taliban movement managed to seize control of the majority of the country with China keeping its embassy open in Kabul.

Closely afterward, Beijing called on member states, during the meeting of G20 foreign ministers, to lift unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan and to end the usage of Kabul’s foreign exchange reserves as a tool of pressure.