UAI welcomes Chinese shuttle diplomacy that has resulted in Pakistan and Afghanistan agreeing to a ceasefire, allowing the citizens of both countries to enjoy Eid in a respectful and peaceful manner.
UAI also greatly appreciates the role of China—currently the penholder on Afghanistan in the UN Security Council (UNSC)—at the multilateral level, as well as its call on all “relevant countries to unfreeze and return the assets of Afghanistan’s central bank.” The seizure of Afghanistan’s sovereign external reserves—the property of the Afghan people—by the United States and some European allies occurred shortly after the return of the Taliban to Kabul in August 2021 and the withdrawal of US and allied forces.
This ruinous measure was a significant factor in cratering the economy and undermining the banking system. Described by UAI as collective punishment, it has contributed to alarming levels of poverty and debt, the collapse of livelihoods, and the use of adverse coping mechanisms such as the exchange of young girls in marriage or the sale of body parts, such as kidneys, to stave off hunger.
Underlining the need for increased, rather than reduced, support for humanitarian action, Chinese representatives at a recent UNSC meeting called on “traditional donors, particularly those countries that bear historical responsibility toward Afghanistan, to resume and increase their aid” as soon as possible.
China’s diplomacy for long-term peace and stability ‘a rare, trustworthy public good,’ says expert
Shen Sheng.
For further information, see the following link:
China calls for Afghanistan-Pakistan ceasefire, ‘serving as stabilizing anchor for regional security in turbulent world’
Published in The Global Times. March 18, 2026 https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202603/1357145.shtml
