China to provide Afghanistan food, Covid vaccines worth $31m

China will provide almost food, winter weather supplies, vaccines, and medicine to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan involving 31 million US dollar, CNN reports citing China's Foreign Ministry.

On Wednesday, Hua Chunyin, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said the decision was announced during the first meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring countries and would be ‘for emergency use to the Afghan people.’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that China will donate 3 million vaccine doses to Afghanistan in the first batch, Chinese state media Xinhua.

It is not clear when the vaccines are scheduled to be delivered.

Chinese leaders have repeatedly said that China would share its coronavirus vaccines with the world, especially with lower income countries, and officials had previously promised Afghanistan would be among several in line for priority access.

Speaking at the foreign minister's meeting in Beijing via video link, Wang also said the United States and its allies were more obligated than any other country to provide economic and humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent Taliban takeover, Wang said the US should "assume their responsibilities" in the country by helping ensure its development and stability while "respecting the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan," Xinhua reported.

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced the formation of a hardline interim government for Afghanistan, filling top posts with veterans of the Islamist militant group who oversaw the 20-year fight against the US-led military coalition.

Wang called on the Taliban to crack down on terrorism and unite with ethnic groups in the country.

He said Afghanistan's regional neighbors, which include Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, should coordinate and cooperate with them to ‘build a broad and inclusive political structure, pursue moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, draw a clear line with terrorist forces,’ according to Xinhua.