Yue Xiaoyong, China's special envoy for Afghanistan, said in an interview that Beijing is not seeking to create a sphere of influence in Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan should become a platform for all parties to cooperate, rather than becoming a geopolitical arena [competition]," he added.
Over the past three years, US officials have repeatedly expressed concern about China's growing influence in Afghanistan.

US President-elect Donald Trump said, during the election campaign, that China had taken over the Bagram base after the withdrawal of US troops from there.

After the withdrawal of US forces and the return of the Taliban to power, China has tried to get involved in economic projects and contracts for mines, oil and gas in Afghanistan.

The country has also established close political and diplomatic relations with the Taliban and is one of the few countries to accept the group's ambassador.

In an interview with the Beijing Club on Sunday, China's special envoy stressed that China respects Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and will never interfere in the country's internal affairs. He added that China does not seek selfish interests in Afghanistan.

Yue Xiaoyong said that Afghanistan's priorities are the formation of an inclusive government and the adoption of a national and moderate policy. He also expressed concern about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, saying, "Before the presence of the United States, one or two terrorist groups were active in Afghanistan, but now there are more than 20 terrorist groups in this country."

In response to a question about the situation of women in Afghanistan, the Chinese special envoy said, "The issue of women is only a small part of Afghanistan's problems and is not the main cause of the country's problems."

He also criticised Western countries for what he called "double standard," adding, "In order to secure human rights, the issue of poverty, hunger and famine in Afghanistan must be addressed."

According to international organisations, at least 20 million people in Afghanistan face extreme poverty.

Yue Xiaoyong also announced that he is consulting with the ruling group in Afghanistan to provide 1 billion yuan in humanitarian aid from China. Some of the aid will go to Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan and Iran, he said, to arrange for the return of refugees to their country.

He added that the country has provided 470 million yuan in aid to Afghanistan in the past three years.

Yue Xiaoyong stressed that by helping Afghanistan during this period, they have prevented the country's collapse.

The Chinese special envoy also defended the Taliban's performance over the past three years, saying that during this period, Afghanistan has prevented the collapse and mass exodus of refugees through joint efforts, and the situation is improving.

China's top diplomat also noted that the Taliban has performed well in controlling the situation, fighting drugs, corruption, and focusing on economic activities.

He called on the United States to accept primary responsibility for the suffering and destruction of Afghanistan and emphasised on their responsibility to rebuild Afghanistan.