President Xi Jinping called on Thursday for countries bordering Afghanistan to do their best to build consensus and coordinate with each other in order to support the Afghan people to create a brighter future.

He made the remark in a written message sent to the third meeting, held in Tunxi, Anhui province, of foreign ministers of the countries neighboring Afghanistan.

Xi said that Afghanistan has come to a critical point of transition from chaos to order after going through so many vicissitudes. The country is now in urgent need of development in many areas, he said.

Hailing Afghanistan and the neighboring countries as a community with a shared future that rise and fall together, Xi said a peaceful, stable, developing and prosperous Afghanistan is the aspiration of the Afghan people and also serves the common interests of countries in the region as well as the international community.

Xi emphasized that China always respects Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and is committed to supporting its pursuit of peace, stability and development.

The coordination and cooperation mechanism among neighbors of Afghanistan, since its launch in September, has endeavored to bring into play the strengths of neighboring countries, thus playing a constructive role in promoting the steady transition in Afghanistan, he added.

Since the irresponsible withdrawal of the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces from the war-torn country, China has been offering support for peace, reconstruction and economic development in Afghanistan to the best of its capability.

So far, assistance supplies worth more than $50 million, including food, COVID-19 vaccines and medicines, have been provided by China to Afghanistan, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The two-day meeting, which ended on Thursday, was chaired by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and attended by the foreign ministers or representatives of Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, Wang stressed efforts to support the Afghan people in deciding their own future independently. He also urged the US to stop unilateral sanctions and unconditionally return Afghanistan's national assets, and called for various measures to be adopted by Afghanistan to eradicate terrorism.

Collective wisdom and joint efforts are required in order to solve the Afghan issue, Wang said, urging regional countries to further build consensus and contribute proposals to push for a brighter future of Afghanistan, so as to realize the region's lasting peace.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the meeting participants praised China's important role in pooling efforts from neighboring countries to support the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan.

They agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation to help with the peaceful reconstruction and to encourage the Afghan side to implement its promises.

They also emphasized that the US and NATO should shoulder their primary responsibility and return assets to the Afghan people as soon as possible, he said.

A joint statement and a Tunxi Proposal to support Afghan reconstruction were issued after the meeting. The statement announced the launch of a regular meeting mechanism of special envoys on Afghanistan from neighboring countries and the establishment of three working groups regarding politics, economy and security. It also called for international support for Afghan refugees' return to the country.

The fourth meeting will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the first quarter of next year.

Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan, said President Xi's appeal is a reflection of the commitment to the ideals of regional peace and connectivity through an all-encompassing approach, not only for Afghanistan but for the entire region.

Amina Khan, director of the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, said that China has played the role of a mediator as well as a facilitator, and is a supporter of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

China is viewed very positively in Afghanistan by all the different ethnic factions, primarily because of its policy of noninterference and neutrality, and for its focus on Afghanistan by providing much-needed economic and developmental assistance, Khan said.