China congratulates Afghanistan on the smooth convocation of its Loya Jirgah and on its election of Hamid Karzai as leader of the Afghan transitional government, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing Saturday.
Liu noted that Chinese President Jiang Zemin has sent a congratulatory message to President Karzai.
China is convinced that the transitional government, under the leadership of President Karzai, will go on advancing the peace process and reconstruction of Afghanistan, Liu said.
Moreover, the spokesman said, the Chinese government attaches great importance to developing its good neighborly, cooperative relations with Afghanistan, and will, as always, continue to contribute its share to the peace process and reconstruction of Afghanistan.
(China Daily June 16, 2002)
