Afghanistan attracted wide concern after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001. Paying great attention to the development of the Afghan situation, China duly put forward five proposals for resolving the Afghan issue. Under UN presidency, different Afghan factions reached important agreements in Bonn on constituting a provisional government at the end of 2001. China expressed its welcome to the progress, and expects peace and stability will be restored in Afghanistan as soon as possible.

China persistently supports the peace process in the Middle East, and maintains that the Middle East issue be solved in a fair, comprehensive and reasonable manner. China is deeply concerned about the re-escalation of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. While strongly condemning violence, it hopes that various sides involved take effective measures, stop violent activities in any form at an early date, and make positive efforts to create conditions for easing tension and resuming peace talks.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, China insisted on opposing all forms of terrorism. It actively participated in the global anti-terrorism cooperation and promoted the leading role of the United Nations and the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, China explicitly pointed out that anti-terrorism military actions should be clearly targeted and conducted under the tenet and principles of the UN Charter and the universally acknowledged norms of the international law, and that terrorism should not be confused with specific nations or religions.

China successfully hosted the Ninth Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), as the world economy was confronted with severe challenges after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Leaders participating in the meeting exchanged views and reached wide consensus. The successful meeting brought new impetus to the development of APEC and helped enhance people's confidence in the recovery of world economy.