Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said in London on Tuesday that China will provide 80 million yuan (nearly US$10 million ) in aid to Afghanistan in 2006.

China will offer long-term assistance and engage in long-term cooperation with Afghanistan in the win-win spirit of mutual benefit and common development, Li said at the international conference on Afghan reconstruction hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Besides the provision of 80 million yuan, China will also levy zero tariff on most Afghan export products in 2006, said the Chinese minister.

China will continue to support the Afghan government's anti-terror efforts and help train more Afghan defense and police officers, Li said.

China will furthermore work with the international community and other Afghan neighbors to tackle the booming drug production in Afghanistan, which is said to be the source of nearly 90 percent of the world's opium and heroin, Li said.

The top Chinese diplomat said Chinese industries have been encouraged to participate in the reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, and also to make investments in such fields as infrastructure, electricity, mineral resources, and transportation.

Li also emphasized that regional cooperation is an effective way for international community and neighboring countries to help Afghanistan move toward a stable and prosperous country.

He suggested that building a regional transportation network be a priority in cooperation with Afghanistan.

China will make full use of the existing regional cooperative mechanism to promote practical cooperation with Afghanistan in the fields of fighting drugs-trafficking, anti-terrorism and border management, Li added.

Envoys from nearly 70 nations and international bodies, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, attended the conference and signed a five-year blueprint for helping the war-shattered Central Asian country along the road to peace and self-sufficiency.

The plan, known as the "Afghanistan Compact," sets out specific targets for boosting economic and social development, bolstering security, enhancing governance, strengthening the rule of law and improving human rights conditions
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2006)