Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai began a visit to China yesterday with talks with Premier Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基) about the Afghan peace process and possible Chinese aid to rebuild his war-ravaged nation, state media said.
Following his mid-afternoon arrival in Beijing, Karzai was welcomed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where he held the early evening discussions with Zhu.
"China is deeply concerned about the Afghan situation and the peace, stability, unity and development of Afghanistan," Zhu was quoted by the Xinhua news agency as saying.
China, which shares a small, mountainous border with Afghanistan, "is ready to provide possible aid for Afghanistan's reconstruction," Zhu said.
The two leaders also discussed ways to deepen bilateral relations, the report said.
Karzai flew in from Tokyo, where he won pledges worth US$4.5 billion for the reconstruction of his country at an international donors' conference.
The Afghan leader, who has held power for four weeks, is due to meet President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) this afternoon after a morning sightseeing trip to the Great Wall. He will leave later today for Tajikistan.
The talks may also touch on the US military presence in the region, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
Sun Yuxi (
"We have taken note that the US side has expressed on many occasions that it does not hope to have a long-term military presence in Central Asia," he said.
Beijing earlier this month announced 30 million yuan (US$3.6 million) in material assistance to Afghanistan and this week in Tokyo announced another US$1 million in start-up funds for the new Afghan government.
The two governments were scheduled to sign an exchange of notes on the aid following yesterday's talks.
The Aghan leader's trip to his country's vast and powerful neighbor had potential benefits for both parties, observers said.
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