China senior diplomat says economic sanctions on Afghanistan must end

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong at Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, September 15, 2021. Yonhap via REUTERS

BEIJING — China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the various unilateral sanctions or restrictions on Afghanistan should be lifted as soon as possible.

Economic sanctions on Afghanistan must end, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, citing Wang at a virtual G20 foreign ministers meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves are national assets that should belong to the country’s people and be used by its own people, and not be used as a bargaining chip to exert political pressure on Afghanistan, he said.