The G8 outreach meeting at foreign minister level on Afghanistan and regional dimension was held in Trieste, Italy from June 26 to 27, 2009. Representatives from the countries and international organizations including G8 member states, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Egypt and United Arab Emirates attended the meeting.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao attended and addressed the meeting. Song pointed out that a peaceful, secure, stable and developing Afghanistan is in the fundamental interests of the Afghan people and is also a common aspiration of the international community. China hopes and believes that with the unremitting efforts of the Afghan government and people, as well as the help and support of the international community, Afghanistan will surely achieve peace and stability and embark on the road of development and prosperity at an early date. The international community should help Afghanistan realize state stability, social progress, national reconciliation and economic development based on respect for Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Song said that China and Afghanistan are important neighbors to each other and their relations are based on mutual respect, equality and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. The two countries have also established a comprehensive cooperative partnership, he added. China attaches great importance to and has actively participated in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, he said, expressing China's willingness to offer support and assistance within its capacity to Afghanistan. China is ready to work with other countries in the world to make due contributions to a better future of Afghanistan.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Song also met respectively with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other participating representatives, exchanging views with them on bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern.