China's only demand for Afghanistan is that terrorist organizations be completely cut off, but after four years, it still hasn't been achieved. China cast a vote of abstention at the United Nations, which is an unusual signal.

Just now at the UN General Assembly, a special resolution was held on the issue of Afghanistan. The voting result was very rare, with 116 countries voting in favor, 12 countries including China and Russia casting a vote of abstention, and only two countries, the United States and Israel, opposing. Additionally, 63 member states did not vote.

To understand why the voting on this resolution regarding the Afghan issue is so divided, we first need to look at what the draft resolution says.

This draft mainly concerns human rights issues, pointing out that women and girls in Afghanistan are currently facing serious systemic oppression, urging the Afghan authorities to change their policies and provide education, employment, and coexistence policies for women and girls.

In other words, if you vote in favor of this draft, it means supporting the United Nations' pressure on the human rights issues in Afghanistan, which can bring some international pressure on the Afghan authorities. The fact that 116 countries voted in favor at least indicates one thing: there are indeed these problems in Afghanistan.

If you vote against it, it means opposing the United Nations' criticism of Afghanistan's internal affairs. However, only the United States and Israel voted against it. This is easy to understand, as the United States and Israel often vote based on their own interests, not necessarily considering Afghanistan or regional situations. As long as the Afghan authorities listen to the United States, the United States does not mind whether Afghanistan is "democratic" or not.

But why did China and Russia, along with 12 other countries, cast a vote of abstention? I checked the UN voting records, and the countries that abstained included Belarus, China, North Korea, Russia, India, Iran, and several African countries that are pro-China and pro-Russia.

This indicates that the core countries led by China and Russia, as well as neighboring countries of Afghanistan, deeply understand how much pain Afghanistan has endured. For a country like Afghanistan, which has suffered continuous invasions by major powers and is currently recovering and dealing with historical issues, it's somewhat unreasonable to criticize it when it hasn't even had enough food, while demanding equal rights for women without providing real financial support and assistance.

Therefore, the 12 countries, including China and Russia, casting a vote of abstention is both a tacit acceptance of the current issues in Afghanistan and a form of "protection" to some extent. The new government in Afghanistan has been in power for only a few years, and the international community needs to give them more tolerance.

However, personally speaking, from the perspective of China, I also feel a bit "disappointed" in Afghanistan. Here, I quote the speech made by Geng Shuang, the Deputy Representative of China to the United Nations, at the meeting. He pointed out five points, the first four being to respond to the humanitarian needs of the Afghans, to assist Afghanistan's self-development, to strengthen communication and dialogue with Afghanistan, and to improve the human rights situation in Afghanistan.

But the fifth point is one that China needs to emphasize more. That is to support Afghanistan in firmly combating terrorism. Geng Shuang directly stated that the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and Taliban (TTP) still pose a serious threat to the security of Afghanistan and the international and regional areas. In this regard, Afghanistan needs to do better, and the international community also needs to provide more support.

Looking back four years ago, when Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke before the establishment of the new Afghan government, he clearly expressed his hope that they would completely cut ties with terrorist organizations. At that time, the new Afghan government promised well, but instead of implementing it, they have become more extreme. China's vote of abstention is a form of "protection" for Afghanistan, but also a kind of "encouragement," hoping that the Afghan authorities will understand China's good intentions and stabilize the situation at the China-Afghan border thoroughly.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524588401522180627/

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