$75m in aid pledged to Afghanistan

THE HAGUE: China announced on Tuesday that it would provide $75 million in aid to Afghanistan over the next five years. The pledge was made by Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei at an international conference on Afghanistan. Wu said China would continue to provide assistance in areas like capacity building at the request of the Afghan government and continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to take part in Afghan reconstruction. He stressed the need to fight terrorism and to support the Aug 20 presidential elections. Wu called for the UN to play a leading role in coordinating international assistance for Afghanistan.