Taking high road to Kabul

LI QINGGONG
Some US media have recently been in an uproar over China's reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, accusing the country of concealing its ulterior motives in its violence-ravaged neighbour.
On October 14, the NBC used such demagogic words as "resource-hungry China heads to Afghanistan" as the headline of a story. Earlier on October 6, the New York Times carried an article, complaining that "while America is sacrificing its blood and treasure, the Chinese will reap the benefits." In the op-ed, titled Beijing's Afghan Gamble, the author Robert Kaplan noted: "China will find a way to benefit no matter what the US does in Afghanistan. But it probably benefits more if we stay and add troops to the fight."
These inflammatory comments aimed at defaming China's assistance to Afghanistan to boost its slowly progressing reconstruction are misleading US public opinion and adding a new precarious element to Sino-US relations. China's efforts to help a war-torn Afghanistan should not be distorted, but it seems it is time for the country to seriously weigh possibilities for cooperation with the US in extricating Afghanistan from omnipresent violence and helping Afghans retrieve long-lost peace and rebuild destroyed homeland.
As a proximate neighbour to Afghanistan, China will not feel eased at the lingering chaos the country has been in and the miserable conditions its people have suffered. To help Afghanistan rebuild its seriously destroyed infrastructure, China has taken a series of initiatives, from reconstruction of hospitals, schools, railways and roads to renovation of power facilities. The country was also invited by China as the host to attend the eighth prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members held in Beijing two weeks ago. At the meeting, Premier Wen Jiabao met with Afghan Vice President Abdul Karim Khalili and promised to continue offering assistance to its neighbour in post-war reconstruction.
"China will continue to encourage its capable and reputable domestic enterprises to invest in Afghanistan to intensify bilateral pragmatic cooperation in economic, trade and agricultural fields," Wen said. He also told the Afghan guest that China would continue to call on the international community to pay more attention to Afghan peoples' livelihood and help the country push forward its desperately needed economic and social development.