GVI Holds Exchange Meeting for China-Afghanistan Young Scholars and Special Event on the 69th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Two Countries

January 12, 2024, GVI and CGTN Pashto Department jointly organized the China-Afghan Young Scholars Exchange Meeting to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

According to the guests present, China and Afghanistan are a community of shared futures "connected by mountains and rivers and bound by the same destiny". The peace, stability, development, and prosperity of Afghanistan are in line with the common interests of both China and Afghanistan. It is the common aspiration of the two nations. They should not only coexist peacefully and be good neighbors but also strengthen cooperation and work together for a better future. Afghanistan, located in the strategic hub between the East and the West, linking Central, West, and South Asia, is at the important node of the "Belt and Road". China-Afghanistan cooperation has complementary advantages and broad prospects. China can continue to provide Afghanistan with humanitarian and development assistance within its capacity. The two sides can steadily push forward cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, agriculture, education, science and technology, medical care, culture, and so on, to promote the early realization of Afghanistan's independent and sustainable development. China welcomes Afghanistan's participation in the construction of the "Belt and Road", and supports Afghanistan's integration into the regional economic interconnection and sharing of its development fruits. More and closer civil economic and trade, cultural and academic exchanges will provide effective venues for the two countries to deepen mutual understanding and enhance mutual trust.

Young scholars from the Afghan side said that China, unlike the imperialist countries that once invaded and bullied Afghanistan, is a big power with no historical burden, so it can play an important role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. They hope that China will provide support and assistance to Afghanistan in the fields of education, medical care, chemical industry, agriculture, economy, and trade. They suggested establishing a working team composed of university teachers, experts, and scholars from both sides so that they could contribute ideas and advice to the bilateral cooperation.

Young scholars from the Chinese side said that they welcome more kind and friendly Afghan friends to come to China, and hope that the goodwill of the Chinese people can blossom on Afghan soil and that they can increase communication and cooperation with Afghan youth to promote Sino-Afghan friendship. They believe that the future-oriented "Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)" will bring the two countries into a more prosperous and mutually beneficial new era.

Guests of honor who attended the meeting included Nasir Ahmed Safi, a doctorate from Tianjin University, Abdulhakim Hutak, a doctorate from Tianjin University and teacher at Laghman University, Darya Khan, a doctorate from Tianjin University and teacher at Ghazni University, Basha Khan Inshafmar, a lecturer from Kandahar University, Azahrakhak Kamran, a postgraduate from Taiyuan University of Technology, Shanxi Province and lecturer at the Faculty of Science of Nangarhar University, Afghanistan, Mr. Zhang Xiaoming, member of the Academic Committee of GVI, He An, Secretary General of GVI, Qian Zhen, Associate Researcher of the Institute of International Strategic Studies of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (the National School of Administration of the Communist Party of China), Chang Hong, Postdoctoral Fellow of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the CASS, Shan Dan, Head of the Center for Afghan Studies of the Communication University of China, Zhao Yujun, a young scholar of Afghan issues and PhD of China Foreign Affairs University, Yang Xiaotong, Research Director of the Public Affairs Department of GVI, Chen Ruilu and Li Xiangxue, students of Pashto language from Communication University of China (CUC), and Chen Zhiyong, Overseas Project Manager of China Communications Construction Corp Ltd (CCCC). Tang Shiyu, reporter and broadcaster of CGTN Pashto Department, presided over the event, and Yu Haifang and Xu Xiaoqin of CGTN Pashto Department served as interpreters.