China hails Afghan presidential election

BEIJING - China on Monday hailed the conclusion of the presidential election in Afghanistan and pledged support for the country's reconstruction.

"China welcomes the conclusion of the election process in Afghanistan," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua's comments came after the Afghan Independent Election Commission on Sunday declared Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the new president of Afghanistan.

Abdullah Abdullah, who competed with Ghani in a run-off, will take the newly created post of chief executive that equals that of prime minister in the national unity government.

Hua congratulated Ghani as the president-elect of Afghanistan and Abdullah Abdullah as the chief executive.

China will support Afghanistan to form a national unity government as soon as possible and expects the election to be a new starting point for the country's unity and stability, she said.

As Afghanistan's friendly neighbor, China places great importance on developing ties with the country and would like to work with the new Afghan government to boost bilateral strategic partnership, according to Hua.

"China will continue to provide assistance and support within its capacity to the country's peaceful reconstruction," she added.

Afghanistan's third presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime was held on April 5 and a run-off between Abdullah and Ghani was conducted on June 14.