Accessibility links

Breaking News

China Hosts Regional Conference On Afghanistan


Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the opening of the Fourth Istanbul Process conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan in Beijing on October 31, 2014.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the opening of the Fourth Istanbul Process conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan in Beijing on October 31, 2014.

China is hosting an international conference on Afghanistan's security and reconstruction in Beijing.

New Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has been on a visit to China since October 28, is headlining the forum known as the Istanbul Ministerial Process.

The annual conference brings Afghanistan and China together with more than a dozen member states and observers, including the United States.

China said on October 29 it would provide $330 million in grants to Afghanistan along with professional training and scholarships for 3,500 Afghans over the next five years.

China is a key investor in Afghanistan, which has an estimated $1 trillion worth of mineral resources, and has secured major oil and copper mining deals there.

Afghanistan and China share a 76-kilometer border between the remote, mountainous Wakhan Corridor and China's far western Xinjiang region.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
XS
SM
MD
LG