Afghanistan’s exports to China have increased by 11.5 percent this year, with forecasts indicating a 25 percent growth next year, Chinese Ambassador in Kabul Zhao Xing said on Thursday.

Zhao said in a meeting with Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), that the groundwork for economic and commercial projects in Afghanistan has been laid. He stressed the importance of fostering cooperation between China and Afghanistan in various sectors.

The Chinese diplomat mentioned that China will offer Afghanistan zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines starting December. This initiative is expected to greatly enhance the export of Afghan products to China and generate job opportunities for many Afghans, he said.

Zhao also outlined plans for a new economic corridor linking Afghanistan and China through Tajikistan. This initiative will be on the agenda at an upcoming trilateral meeting involving representatives of Tajikistan, China, and Afghanistan.

He highlighted the significance of activating the Wakhan corridor as a key component of this project.

The envoy, commenting on the developing situation in Afghanistan, expressed China's interest in investing across various sectors within the country and executing relevant projects. He noted China's advocacy for Afghan development at international forums and its calls for the global community to undertake projects within Afghanistan. He encouraged dialogue and negotiation as a means to address existing challenges.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Kabir appreciated China's offer of tariff-free trade. He remarked that this measure would benefit Afghan entrepreneurs and strengthen the national economy, calling other neighboring countries to follow suit.

He noted that the Wakhan corridor is a pivotal development in the bilateral relations between Afghanistan and China, emphasizing that its completion would greatly enhance economic and commercial exchanges between the two countries.

An expo of Afghan products opened officially in Almaty, in Kazakhstan on Sunday in the presence of Afghanistan’s acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, Nooruddin Azizi and Serik Zhumangarin, the deputy prime minister of the host country.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the expo, Azizi welcomed the initiative and said such events were effective in expanding trade and business relations between the two countries.

Zhumangarin said in turn that Astana is interested in maintaining commercial, economic, transportation, logistics and energy relations with Kabul.

The expo will be held over three days and Afghan products are being displayed in more than 70 booths.

On display are numerous products from Afghanistan including carpets, jewelry, construction materials, household and industrial chemicals, vegetables, fruit, and food products.

The expo runs from October 20 to 22, at the Atakent Exhibition Center in Almaty, and over 250 Afghan traders are taking part.

Kazakhstan has increased efforts recently to boost trade with Afghanistan and in June, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that his country had removed the Islamic Emirate from its list of militant organizations.

In late August, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry then accredited a chargé d’affaires of Afghanistan in order to expand trade, financial, and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

Afghanistan exported saffron and Ferula assa-foetida worth $77.5 million over the past six months, the spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad said.

The country has exported 18 tons of saffron worth $20.5 million and 617 tons of ferula assa-foetida worth $57 million during the cited period through August, the official said.

According to Jawad, these two spices have been mostly exported to China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Spain, Germany, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, the United States, and Britain.

Ferula assa-foetida, with its yellow flower and massive root, is native to Central Asia and eastern Iran, and is grown in Afghanistan, from where it is exported to the rest of the world.

Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock has provided training to local farmers in its efforts to promote saffron and ferula asafetida production in Afghanistan.