Afghanistan–People's Republic of China relations
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Afghanistan – People's Republic of China relations were mostly warm and friendly during most of the 20th Century but after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 relations severely deteriorated. In the 21st century relations have improved significantly.[citation needed]
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[edit] Historical relations
Throughout history, the relations between Afghanistan and China was mostly involved trade of fruit and tea via caravans through Xinjiang and the Wakhan Corridor on the border between the two countries.[1]
The People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Afghanistan on January 20, 1955.
Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice Premier He Long visited Afghanistan in January 1957. This is the first ever visit taken by Chinese leadership to Afghanistan in the history of Sino-Afghan relations. During the visit, the Chinese Premier and Vice Premier met with King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, and held respective talks with Prime Minister Mohammad Daud Khan, Vice Prime Minister Ali Mohammad and Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mr. Mohammad Naim. The Chinese Premier's visit to Afghanistan enhanced mutual understanding between the two countries and laid a solid foundation for the development of friendly relations between China and Afghanistan. In October 1957, Prime Minister Mohammad Daud of Afghanistan visited China under China's invitation. During the visit he held meetings respectively with Chairman Mao Zedong, Vice Chairman Zhu De and Chairman Liu Shaoqi of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.
China and Afghanistan held negotiations in Kabul on boundary treaty from June to August 1963 and in November of the same year, two countries signed the boundary treaty, thus finally completing the determination of the boundary of the two countries.
On November 22, 1963, China and Afghanistan signed in Beijing the Boundary Treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Afghanistan. This treaty settled the territorial dispute over the Afghan-controlled Wakhan on the border between Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.[2]
King Mohammad Zahir Shah and Queen of Afghanistan visited China in October 1964. The King met with Chairman Mao Zedong and held talks with Chairman Liu Shaoqi and Premier Zhou Enlai. Through those meetings and talks, positive achievements were made in further promoting mutual understanding as well as developing bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Mr. Chen Yi, Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of China visited Afghanistan in March 1965 and signed the Boundary Protocol, Agreement of Economic and Technological Cooperation and Agreement of Cultural Cooperation with the Afghan side.
On July 17, 1973, Mr. Mohammad Daud Khan, former Prime Minister undertook a coup, abrogated the King of Afghanistan and declared to set up the Republic of Afghanistan. On July 20, 1973, Mr. Siddiqui, Ambassador of Afghanistan in China, instructed by the Afghan government, called on Mr. Han Nianlong, Vice Foreign Minister of China to request China's early recognition of the Republic of Afghanistan. On July 28, Mr. Han Nianlong was authorized by the Chinese government to convey a verbal message to the Afghan Ambassador that "under the request by the Afghan government, the People's Republic of China extends recognition to the Republic of Afghanistan with a hope of further maintaining and developing the traditional friendship between the two peoples and friendly ties between the two countries."
In December 1974, Mr. Mohammad Naim, Special Envoy of the Afghan President visited China under China's invitation. He met with Premier Zhou Enlai and held talks with Vice Premier Li Xiannian and Foreign Minister Qiao Guanhua. Both sides discussed international situation and issues on how to strengthen Sino-Afghan relations. The relations between China and Afghanistan have been smoothly developed from the establishment of diplomatic ties to the period of the Republic of Afghanistan.
On April 27, 1978, former Vice General Commander of Afghan Air Force, Wing Commander Abdul Qadir[disambiguation needed], who held pro-Moscow stand, undertook a coup d'état, ousted the Daud government and set up "the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan". The Revolutionary Council was established as the highest authority of the country. Mr. Noor Mohammad Taraki, Chairman of the People's Democratic Party became Chairman of the Council and Prime Minister of the government. The new government of Afghanistan sent a memorandum to the Chinese Embassy in Kabul on April 30 and a verbal note to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on May 3 demanding China's recognition of the Afghan government. With a view to further developing the friendly relations between the two countries and two peoples, the Chinese Foreign Ministry replied with a verbal note on May 7 to extend recognition to the new government of Afghanistan. However, soon after this, the Afghan government started to carry out a pro-Soviet Union and anti-China policy by throwing in its own lot with Soviet Union and conducting anti-China activities. Afghanistan also expressed its dissatisfaction to China's establishment of diplomatic ties with the USA.
In February 1979, the Afghan government delivered a statement condemning China invading Viet Nam. In March, the Afghan government issued another communique accusing China of sending officers to train Afghan guerrillas and providing arms and financial assistance to Afghan refugees in Pakistan. In April, the Afghan media including its newspaper and broadcasting vilified China by alleging that China had trained Afghan "anti-revolutionary elements". The Chinese Foreign Ministry as well as the Chinese Embassy in Kabul made a number of presentations to the Afghan authorities to expose their lies and clarify the truth of events. The Sino-Afghan friendly relations had thus been severely damaged.
On December 25, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The Chinese government issued an official statement on December 30 strongly condemning the Soviet Union's armed invasion into Afghanistan. China did not recognize the Karmal regime in Afghanistan which was propped up by the Soviet Union. Therefore, China retained its Embassy in Afghanistan (at the level of Chargé d'affaires a.i.), which, however, bore no official relation with the Afghan regime, except some routine work and consular and visa functions.
The Najibullah regime collapsed in April 1992 and Afghan guerrillas came to power. The Islamic State of Afghanistan was established. Soon after that, the relationship between China and Afghanistan was normalized. However, different factions of Afghan guerrillas started fighting with each other. With the intensification of civil war in Afghanistan and for the sake of safety, China withdrew all its staff and diplomats of the Chinese Embassy in Kabul in February 1993. As a result, normal contacts between the two countries were suspended. Relations were very poor and hostile under the Taliban regime because the Taliban had strongly backed the Uyghur rebels and had supported and given sanctuary to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and the East Turkestan Liberation Organization. China was also angered by the fact that the Taliban regime had also provided sanctuary for terrorist groups active in Central Asia and China. As a result China had strongly supported the Northern Alliance which played a key role in the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.
[edit] Recent relations
After the fall of the Taliban regime after the United States intervention in 2001, however relations between China and Afghanistan had greatly improved and were reestablished. In December 2001, China sent to Afghanistan a working team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which attended the Afghan Interim Administration's foundation ceremony and sent a message of congratulations to President Hamid Karzai.
In January 2002, President Karzai visited China, and met respectively with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji. The two sides exchanged the notes of China providing 30 million yuan of emergent material aid and US$1 million in cash to Afghanistan. President Jiang Zemin announced that China would provide US$150 million-worth of assistance to Afghanistan for its reconstruction. The 30 million yuan of emergent material aid had been delivered to Kabul by the end of March 2002. The Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan was reopened on February 6.
In May 2002, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan visited Afghanistan. During the visit, the Chinese Foreign Minister met with Hamid Karzai, Chairman of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan and ex-King Zahir, and held talks with his counterpart Mr. Abdullah Abdullah. The two sides signed the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation of US$30 million Chinese aid to Afghanistan. In November, Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah visited China. During his visit, the Chinese and Afghan sides exchanged the notes of China providing US$ 1 million of material aid to Afghanistan. In December, China, together with the other 5 neighboring countries of Afghanistan signed Kabul Declaration on Good Neighborly Relations, reaffirming its commitment to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and to continuously support Afghanistan's peace process and reconstruction.
In February 2003, President Karzai passed through China twice. In May, the Vice President of Afghan Islamic Transitional Government Nematullah Sharhrani paid a working visit to China. During the visit he held talks with Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong and met with NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao. The two sides signed three cooperative documents including the Agreement of Economic and Technical Cooperation, under which the Chinese Government provides US$ 15 million grant to the Afghan Government.
On November 14, 2007, Afghan President Hamid Karzai met at his Presidential Palace in the capital of Kabul with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
During the meeting, Karzai said Afghanistan cherishes its traditional friendship with China and is proud of having such a friendly neighbor as China. He expressed deep appreciation and thanks for the support and assistance that China has offered to Afghanistan in its peace process and economic reconstruction. The president hoped that both countries will tap potential for cooperation, create more favorable conditions for bilateral economic and trade exchanges, deepen cooperation in counter-terrorism and other areas and strengthen communication and coordination in international affairs, so as to push bilateral ties to a new level.
Describing China and Afghanistan as good neighbors, friends and partners, Yang said their friendship and cooperation have been continuously deepened since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 52 years ago. He spoke highly of Afghanistan's staunch support to China on issues related to Taiwan, human rights and combating Uyghur separatist terrorist forces, expressing hope that Afghanistan will maintain long-term stability. China supports the efforts of the Afghan government led by President Karzai in maintaining stability, promoting economic development, he added. China will as always respect Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as its development path chosen by the Afghan side independently, said Yang, pledging that China will actively participate in Afghanistan's economic reconstruction.
Yang said currently Sino-Afghan ties are facing a new historical opportunity for development. China is ready to work with Afghanistan to earnestly implement their good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation and consensus reached by their leaders, to maintain high-level exchanges, to expand bilateral contacts between the governments, parliaments, political parties, military forces and peoples of the two countries, and to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation on economy, trade, agriculture, education and public health, said Yang. He also pledged to enhance bilateral coordination in non-traditional security areas to push for long-term, stable development of the comprehensive cooperative partnership. China is ready to strengthen good-neighborly friendship with neighboring countries including Afghanistan and to actively conduct regional cooperation, in a bid to create a regional environment featuring peace, stability, equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation, the foreign minister said.
Yang Jiechi arrived in Kabul on November 14 for a visit to Afghanistan. On the same day, the foreign minister also met in Kabul with his Afghan counterpart Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, exchanging views on bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern.
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