The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday urged the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets and lift unilateral sanctions on the country as soon as possible.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, acting Deputy Prime Minister of the Afghan Taliban’s interim government, was reported saying that the recent rain and snow had aggravated the plight of Afghan people in need of food and clothing.
Baradar said the economic sanctions imposed by the United States had made Afghanistan face serious challenges.
When asked to comment on Baradar’s remarks, Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, told a daily press briefing that the Chinese people sympathised with the difficulties the Afghan people were suffering.
He said although the U.S. military had withdrawn from Afghanistan, the pain caused by its occupation of Afghanistan for 20 years continued and was further aggravated.
“We urge the U.S. side to deeply reflect on its mistakes, shoulder its due international responsibilities and lift its asset freeze and unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan as soon as possible,” Wang said.
According to Wang, the U.S. side is also urged to take concrete actions to make up for the harm caused to the Afghan people, instead of sprinkling salt on the wounds of the Afghan people. (Xinhua/NAN)
