China on Monday called on the international community to maintain engagement with the Islamic Emirate government of Afghanistan and to expand economic cooperation and humanitarian assistance with the country.

Addressing the United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Monday, China’s envoy to the UN Fu Cong said that while Afghanistan remains largely stable, with a steadily improving economy and dynamic external relations, the country also faces multiple challenges in humanitarian areas, development, terrorist threats, and women’s rights and interests.

He said maintaining the engagement momentum with the Afghan government was important.

“Last year saw an increasing number of countries conducting dialogue and cooperation with the interim government, lending strong support to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan.

“China supports the international community in cementing mutual trust with the interim government and addressing each other’s concerns through dialogue. China reiterates that the Council should reinstate its package of exemptions to the travel ban imposed on the relevant personnel of the Afghan interim government, and timely adjust the 1988 sanctions regime, so as to facilitate the external engagement of the interim government.” 

He stated that major traditional donors have abruptly paused or reduced their aid to Afghanistan, which has had a serious impact on the country’s healthcare, education, and food and agriculture systems. This had made “the already difficult life of the Afghan people even more precarious.

“We call on traditional donors, especially those historically responsible for the problems of the country, to resume and increase their aid to Afghanistan and desist from using humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip to exert political pressure.” 

Fu pointed out that while the country’s economy grew by 2.7% last year, the economic foundation remained shaky and that “potential for development is yet to be unlocked.

“It is necessary that all parties continue bilateral, multilateral, and regional cooperation in support of Afghanistan’s economic recovery, including rebuilding its banking system and provide more resources for its development.”

Fu also called for Afghanistan’s foreign reserves to be unfrozen and returned immediately.

On the issue of guaranteeing the fundamental rights and interests of all Afghan people, Fu said: “The morality law promulgated by Afghanistan has been widely scrutinized.

“We hope that the Afghan side will take the legitimate international concerns seriously and effectively respect women’s equal rights to education, employment, and public life. Having said that, it is important to note that women’s rights and interests are not the only problem facing the country, still less a root cause of its current challenges.

“There is a need to support its economic and social development as a way to create favorable conditions for women’s rights and interests, while guiding Afghanistan to shift its policies through dialogue.” 

On countering terrorism, he said: “China calls on the interim government to continue countering all terrorist forces, including Daesh, Al-Qaida, and ETIM/TIP, to eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism.

“All countries should abandon their geopolitical calculation and ideological biases and reject double standards and selectivity to safeguard the greater good of international counter-terrorism cooperation,” he said. 

In conclusion, he said that China remains committed to respecting the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, respecting the independent choice of the Afghan people, and respecting the religious beliefs and national customs of the country.

“China never interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, never pursues any selfish gains in Afghanistan, and never seeks to build a so-called sphere of influence.

“China has always been action-oriented in supporting the country’s peace, stability, development, and prosperity. We stand ready to work with all sides to strengthen Council unity and consensus to make greater contributions to addressing the Afghan issue.” 

Kabul Airport bombing suspect, who was arrested in Pakistan last week and extradited to the United States, was not a top-level planner of the deadly attack in August 2021, the FBI has said. 

However, Mohammad Sharifullah will remain in custody on charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, US magistrate judge William Fitzpatrick stated in a federal court on Monday. 

During an address to Congress last week, US President Donald Trump described Sharifullah as “the top terrorist responsible” for the suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul amid the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

However, FBI Special Agent Seth Parker agreed with Sharifullah’s public defender on Monday that the alleged terrorist was not one of the top-level planners of the bombing, according to Fox News.

Parker alleged that Sharifullah was tasked by ISIS-K (Daesh) higher-ups with conducting reconnaissance ahead of the attack, including surveilling the road leading to Abbey Gate for the presence of roadblocks and law enforcement.

The hearing, the second for Sharifullah since he was brought on US soil last week, also revealed that the alleged ISIS-K member has claimed he was not present during the bombing and was unaware of the specifics of the target.

Parker, however, testified that Sharifullah was indeed an ISIS-K member with experience in helping carry out suicide bombings.

The Justice Department said last week that Sharifullah admitted to FBI agents during interviews that he conducted surveillance and later transported a suicide bomber near the Canadian embassy in Kabul ahead of the June 2016 attack.

Sharifullah also confessed to sharing instructions on how to use AK-style rifles and other weapons with two of the four gunmen responsible for the March 2024 ISIS-K attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow, which killed approximately 130 people.

Parker testified that Sharifullah was living near Quetta, Pakistan, where he was raising livestock, including chickens, when he was apprehended.

If convicted, Sharifullah faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for his role in the Kabul Airport attack.

Bruno Kahl, Germany’s President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), says his organization is collecting information from Afghanistan, which will aid the German federal government in deciding how to engage with the Islamic Emirate.

In an interview with DW, Kahl said: “This is a question for politicians to answer. As an intelligence service, our duty is to gather critical information so the federal government can make informed decisions, and that is exactly what we are doing in Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate Hamdullah Fitrat said that Afghanistan and Germany have historically maintained good relations and now seek to preserve these ties to secure the interests of both countries.

“Afghanistan wants good relations with all countries, including Germany, with whom we have a strong historical relationship. Afghanistan desires to maintain this relation with Germany,” he said.

This comes after Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry declared visas and documents issued by over ten Afghan embassies and diplomatic missions in Europe invalid. However, the consular documents from Afghanistan’s consulate in Munich, Germany, remain valid.