Mr. Chairman,
Dear Colleagues,

First of all, I wish to extend, on behalf of China, congratulations on the successful opening of the Special Conference on Afghanistan convened under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). I would like to thank Russia, the hosting country, for making good preparations and thoughtful arrangements for the conference.

This conference is the first within the SCO framework that focuses solely on the issue of Afghanistan. It is highly relevant given the new international and regional political, security and economic situations.

In recent years, thanks to the concerted efforts of the Afghan government and people and the strong support of the international community, Afghanistan has made positive progress in its peace process and economic reconstruction and moved steadily toward the goal of stability and development. But at the same time, there are still many destabilizing factors in the Afghan domestic situation, in particular grave challenges posed by resurging terrorism, rampant drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes, and slow progress of reconstruction. The spillover effect of these issues is taking its toll on peace and stability in the region. The situation in Afghanistan is at a crossroads. In which direction it moves will determine the success or failure of the Afghan reconstruction process and the international counter-terrorism campaign.

China believes that if the above-mentioned challenges are to be tackled effectively, the international community should work in synergy, cooperate with the Afghan government in adopting a comprehensive approach that treats both symptoms and root causes, fight more vigorously against terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crimes in the region, and help Afghanistan achieve stability and economic development.

First, we should support the leading and coordinating role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in the reconstruction process. In the past year, UNAMA's efforts have won the appreciation of the Afghan government and people, leading to enhanced ability of the United Nations in coordinating assistance operations in the country. We should continue to support closer interactions between UNAMA and the Afghan government, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and donors, so that UNAMA can play a greater coordinating and monitoring role.

Second, we should assist the Afghan government in holding a smooth general election. The presidential election campaign in Afghanistan has already begun. To ensure a smooth general election is an immediate priority for Afghanistan, and an essential basis for political stability and peaceful reconstruction in the country. China calls upon the international community to provide assistance in funding, security and other areas in order to create an enabling environment for a smooth and peaceful general election.

Third, we should respect the leading role of the Afghan government in its own affairs. We should help the Afghan government enhance its governance capacity in an all-round manner and step up training for and assistance to its military and police forces, so that they can independently take up security and defense responsibilities in Afghanistan at an early date. The international community should work closely with relevant departments of the Afghan government to effectively combat terrorist activities in Afghanistan through comprehensive measures and joint operations.

Fourth, we should attach greater importance to the development of Afghanistan. More needs to be done to improve the Afghan people's well-being. Assistance should be given on a priority basis to agriculture, education, public health and infrastructure. We should support the implementation of the Afghanistan Compact and accelerate the execution of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). We should raise the efficiency of assistance, help Afghanistan to improve its own "blood-making" capability and achieve benign social and economic development in the country. We should earnestly help the Afghan people to improve their living conditions and gradually eliminate the root causes for terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes in Afghanistan.

The Chinese government will continue to enhance cooperation with Afghanistan and its neighboring countries in the spirit of the Kabul Declaration on Good Neighborly Relations. China will continue to provide, to the best of its ability, assistance to meet Afghanistan's needs and train Afghan personnel in the fields of economy and trade, customs, anti-drug trafficking and security.

Fifth, we should continue to improve and strengthen regional cooperation mechanisms. The neighboring countries of Afghanistan should actively engage in Afghanistan's reconstruction and involve Afghanistan in regional cooperation mechanisms. This is not only conducive to the stability and development of Afghanistan, but also crucial to the security and stability of the region.

Among the six neighboring countries of Afghanistan, five are member states or observer states of the SCO. As an emerging regional cooperation organization, the SCO has been consistently committed to peace and stability, development and prosperity of the region, including in Afghanistan. The SCO's role is becoming more important and its efforts have been fully recognized and positively assessed by the international community. Through the convenient channel of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, the SCO member states have formulated concrete measures and plans for stronger cooperation and achieved positive results.

We believe that in the SCO's efforts to fight terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes, it should focus on strengthening cooperation within itself and with the relevant departments of Afghanistan. In particular, it should, first, tighten border control and increase joint law enforcement between its member states and the relevant Afghan departments; second, involve Afghanistan in SCO cooperation in fighting the "three forces" in a step-by-step manner; and third, strengthen cooperation and information sharing among the SCO member states. China supports the adoption of the statement and plan of action by the SCO member states and Afghanistan on combating terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and organized crime at the Conference and welcomes new consensus by participating states.

Afghanistan is a friendly neighbor of China. The friendship between China and Afghanistan has a long history and is deeply rooted in the hearts of our peoples. Since the new Afghan government was formed, China has been committed to developing relations with Afghanistan and has taken an active part in the Afghan reconstruction. On the political front, the two sides signed the Treaty of Good Neighborly Friendship and Cooperation Between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the People's Republic of China and established the China-Afghanistan comprehensive and cooperative partnership. On the economic front, China has focused its assistance on improving the Afghan people's livelihood and putting Afghanistan on a more solid footing for independent development. We have built a hospital, a water conservancy project and other projects aimed at improving people's well-being in Afghanistan. Up to now, China has provided nearly US$180 million in economic assistance to Afghanistan and cancelled all the matured debts Afghanistan owed to China. In addition, China has trained over one thousand Afghan technical personnel from various fields. On the security front, China and Afghanistan have signed agreements on combating illicit drug trafficking and transnational crimes and conducted effective cooperation in fighting terrorism and illicit drug trafficking. China has also assisted in developing the Afghan national army by providing military assistance and personnel training. We stand ready to continue to provide long-term support to Afghanistan through multilateral and bilateral channels and make unremitting efforts, in the spirit of mutual benefit and common development, for Afghanistan's long-term peace and stability.

Dear Colleagues,

The Chinese government has decided to turn the previously committed US$75 million concessional loans into grant assistance, which will be delivered in five years starting from 2009.

Dear Colleagues,

To achieve peace, stability, harmony and development in Afghanistan is the urgent desire of the Afghan people who have endured so many hardships and the common aspiration of the entire international community. This demands not only the hard work of the Afghan government and people, but also the sustained attention and vigorous support of the entire international community, including the SCO. As a responsible member of the SCO, China is ready to work with other member states, observer states and other related parties to make due contribution to a peaceful and bright future of Afghanistan.