AT News
KABUL: China has delivered the second batch of its winter supplies to Afghanistan as part of its efforts to help the impoverished nation amid crippling economic crisis.
Interim deputy minister of refugees and repatriation affairs, Arsala Kharoti, and Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu attended the handover ceremony at a ministry depot.
The latest batch includes more than 70,000 blankets and 40,000-plus down coats. The aid brings warmth from the Chinese people to the Afghan people at a critical moment, the ambassador said.
Wang said that China would continue to donate other aid including food.
China, as a good neighbor of Afghanistan, is ready to help the country overcome its current difficulties, he said.
Kharoti thanked China for providing the emergency supplies as many Afghan people are experiencing a difficult time.
The supplies will be distributed to eligible people around the country, he added.
The delivery of the supplies came a day after the launch of several China-funded projects in Afghanistan. Chinese and Afghan officials inaugurated the construction of a mosque and two wells in the country’s Ministry of Justice on Sunday.
In response to a question about China’s assistance to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that China has been providing support within its capacity to Afghanistan for the country’s reconstruction and economic development. Wang described China as a “friendly neighbor” and “sincere friend” of Afghanistan.
The well projects inaugurated on Sunday will help meet local residents’ need for water and improve their living conditions, he said at a regular press briefing.
The supplies delivered on Monday were part of the humanitarian assistance that China will provide to Afghanistan, which includes over a ton of grain, necessities of life, medical and winter supplies and COVID-19 vaccines, he noted.
China will continue to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to help the Afghan people overcome the current difficulties, he added.
The spokesperson said China stands ready to talk with Afghanistan on cooperation for economic reconstruction as the situation stabilizes in the war-torn nation.