On August 20, 2007, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan met with visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai.

State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan (R) meets with visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai in Beijing

Tang said China attaches great importance to ties with Afghanistan and the two countries are "good neighbors, good friends and good partners". Afghan President Hamid Karzai paid a state visit to China in June 2006, during which Karzai and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao signed a good neighborly treaty for friendship and cooperation. Hu and Karzai met again on Aug. 15 this year on the sidelines of a summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Tang said the events marked that China-Afghanistan comprehensive and cooperative partnership has entered a new phase of development.

China sincerely hopes that lasting peace and stability will be realized in Afghanistan, which is in the common interests of both China and Afghanistan and the world at large. China will continue to support Afghanistan's peace process, actively participate in and provide every help it could in Afghanistan's economic reconstruction. He expressed hope for solidarity and cooperation between the Afghan government and people to push forward the reconstruction process. He said that China is also ready to strengthen cooperation with Afghanistan on non-traditional security issues and support Afghanistan to play an active role in regional affairs.

Spanta said Afghanistan and China are traditional good neighbors and the two peoples always enjoy intimate friendship, adding Afghanistan appreciated China's help and support for his country's peace and reconstruction process. Spanta said the Afghan government will firmly stick to the one-China policy and support China's reunification cause, which Tang appreciated.