Q: What has China done so far in aiding Afghanistan? What kind of role is China prepared to play in the future reconstruction of Afghanistan?

A: China has always cherished friendly feelings towards the Afghan people. Over a long period of time, we have provided all the aid we could to the Afghan people. We helped Afghanistan to build the Parwan Irrigation Works, Kandahar Hospital and some ten other projects, which produced good economic benefits and have been spoken highly of till now by the Afghan people.

Since the 1980s, in order to ease the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the Chinese Government has provided aid of goods and materials each year to the Afghan refugees through UNHCR, International Committee of Red Cross and other channels. After the "9·11" incident, the Chinese Government started the emergency aid mechanism and provided aid of goods and materials in time to the Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran. The Chinese delegates also participated respectively in Washington Senior Officials Meeting for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan and Islamabad Meeting for the Post-War Reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Through the concerted efforts of the parties concerned in Afghanistan, the Afghan Interim Government is to be set up. This is an important step for Afghanistan to move towards peace. The Chinese Government will, as always, continue to provide Afghanistan with humanitarian aid and take an active part in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.