On October 31, the fourth Foreign Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan was hold in Beijing. Premier Li Keqiang and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Afghan counterpart Zarar Ahmad Osmani co-chaired the conference.

Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that moving forward the Istanbul Process is conducive to the early settlement of the Afghan issue and the realization of regional security and prosperity. A united, stable, developing and amicable Afghanistan meets the aspirations of the Afghan people and serves the common interests of regional countries and the international community. It is the unshirkable responsibility of regional countries and the international community to support Afghanistan's peaceful reconstruction and push for an early resolution of the Afghan issue. Premier Li Keqiang announced that China will provide non-reimbursable assistance of 1.5 billion yuan (about 244 million U.S. dollars) over the upcoming three years to Afghanistan, to help the country train 3,000 people of all circles in the upcoming five years and provide 500 scholarships.

Premier Li Keqiang raised a five-point proposal on resolving the Afghan issue. First, Afghanistan should be governed by the Afghan people. The destiny of Afghans should be placed nowhere else other than in the hands of themselves who should be the true governors of their country. Second, political reconciliation must be moved forward. The international community should support Afghan government in formulating a comprehensive strategy for reconciliation and assist with the "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" peace and reconciliation process. Third, economic reconstruction should be expedited. The international community should honor its pledge to offer assistance to Afghanistan and help Afghanistan reinforce its capacity to achieve independent development, realize economic development that is sustainable, and remove the breeding soil for extremism. Fourth, a development path should be explored. The international community should respect the rights of the Afghan people to independently choose the social system and development path. The Afghan people should be able to seek out a model for state governance that suits their national conditions through practice. Fifth, external support should be fortified. The international community should firmly support Afghanistan in developing its external relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, assist Afghanistan in enhancing its security capacity building, and support UN's leading role in coordinating the international efforts to aid Afghanistan.

China has always been a firm supporter and active promoter of Afghanistan's peaceful reconstruction process, and has provided Afghanistan with assistance to the best of China's capacity. China will continue with its friendly policy towards Afghanistan, support Afghanistan's peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction process, prop up Afghanistan's capacity for self-development, support Afghanistan's integration into regional cooperation, and promote regional economic and trade cooperation and connectivity.