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Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani inspect the guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony. Photo: Xinhua

Afghan president heads to Beijing for talks as Nato troops quit war-torn country

Afghanistan and China pledged a new long-term partnership with each other as Kabul's new president Ashraf Ghani began a four-day visit while Nato combat troops prepare to withdraw from his country.

AFP

Afghanistan and China pledged a new long-term partnership with each other as Kabul's new president Ashraf Ghani began a four-day visit while Nato combat troops prepare to withdraw from his country.

Ghani was sworn in as Afghanistan's head of state last month in the war-torn Asian nation's first democratic transfer of power. His first state visit as president is to China, which is seeking greater investment opportunities in Afghanistan.

"We look at China as a strategic partner, in the short term, medium term, long term and very long term," he told President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People. Xi's "vision" for the continent had opened "not just a new chapter for Asia, but an entirely new book", he said.

Hailing Ghani as "an old friend of the Chinese people", Xi said he was prepared to work towards "a new era of cooperation in China-Afghanistan relations" to "take development to a new depth and breadth".

China has secured major oil and copper mining concessions in Afghanistan, which is believed to have more than US$1 trillion worth of mineral resources, according to studies by the US Geological Survey.

At the same time, all Nato combat troops will leave the country by December, leaving Afghan troops and police to battle Taliban insurgents on their own. China's international role has come under criticism from some parties including US President Barack Obama, who in an August interview with called Beijing a "free rider" for not doing more to quell violence in the Middle East.

State-run media struck back with a litany of editorials blasting Obama's remark. "The US accusation, which comes out of nowhere, is nothing but an attempt for Washington to find a scapegoat for its failed policy in Iraq," Xinhua wrote last month.

During his visit, Ghani is expected to sign a raft of bilateral agreements and on Friday attend the Istanbul Process, a key conference on his country, which is being hosted by Beijing this year.

Ghani's choice of China for his first overseas trip since taking office is symbolically significant, mainland analysts say. "Seeking other sources of support is essential to Afghanistan's stability and development," Fu Xiaoqiang, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations told the . "China, as the most capable nation in the neighbourhood, has to be its first option."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Afghan leader vows long-term support
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