Afghan war underlines failure of hegemony

A Chinese ambassador to the United Nations on Monday reiterated that the war in Afghanistan shows that power politics is not the right approach, and he called on the international community to support the country in developing international economic and trade cooperation.

"The fiasco of the past 20 years has once again proved that military intervention and power politics are not the right way; foreign models and democratic transformation cannot win the hearts and minds of the people," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, told a Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan. "The tragedy in Afghanistan should never be allowed to repeat."

China has always stressed that the withdrawal of foreign troops is not the end of responsibility, but rather the beginning of reflection and correction. The countries concerned should have seriously reflected on their mistakes and corrected them in a timely manner, "instead of walking away with a shrug of shoulders", said Zhang.

Rather than fulfilling their due responsibilities, relevant countries have cut off development aid, frozen Afghan assets and imposed political isolation and blockade, he said.

"This is not only just evading responsibility and abandoning the Afghan people, but also perpetuating the mistakes and exacerbating the sufferings of the Afghan people," he said. "What is more perplexing is that we do not see any reflection in humility or mistake correction with sincerity. On the contrary, what we hear is malicious accusations against and attack on others.

"We expect the Afghan interim government to pursue sound and inclusive domestic and foreign policies, actively safeguard and improve people's livelihood, resolutely combat terrorism, and live in harmony with all countries, including its neighbors."

He called on the international community to support Afghanistan in advancing its peaceful reconciliation, restoring public services and market activities, and engaging in regional and international economic and trade cooperation.

The international community should also enhance its engagement with the Afghan interim government in a rational and pragmatic manner, Zhang added.

Zhang said that the humanitarian situation in the country is grave, and issues relating to the survival and development of tens of millions of people, including women and girls, are concerning.

"It is ethically hypothetical and practically lethal to claim to care about the rights of Afghan women and girls, while slashing humanitarian and development aid to the country and stubbornly maintaining unilateral sanctions against the country," he said.

Zhang said that the humanitarian and economic predicament faced by the country is a result of the lack of liquidity and economic stagnation caused by foreign sanctions.