The Lessons We Can Learn from the Afghanistan Situation

阿富汗局势给我们的启示

 

Ambassador Cong Peiwu Published a Signed Article on The Hill Times

驻加拿大大使丛培武在《国会山时报》发表署名文章

 

2022年2月8日

8 February 2022

 

Pine nuts are widely consumed across Canada, just as they are in China. In traditional Chinese culture, pine nuts are said to aid in longevity and good health and are found in many of the best recipes across the country. As of late 2021, over a thousand tons of Afghani pine nuts had been exported to China via the reopened “Pine Nut Air Corridor”. They were widely loved by Chinese consumers and generated over 16 million US dollars in revenue for Afghanistan. I am sure that there will be more products from Afghanistan sold to China in the future, which will undoubtedly help address the economic and livelihood difficulties faced by people in Afghanistan currently.

松子是加拿大广受欢迎的美食，在中国同样如此。松子在中国也被称为长寿果，是很多传统佳肴的食材。截止去年底，上千吨阿富汗松子通过重启的“松子空中走廊”销往中国，深受中国消费者欢迎，也为阿富汗创收1600多万美元。相信未来将会有更多的阿富汗特色产品销往中国市场。这些无疑将助力纾解当前阿富汗的民生困难。

 

Afghanistan was one of the pearls of the ancient Silk Road, the crossroads between East and West, and to this day is a place full of culture and history. Sadly, Afghanistan has for countless years suffered through war and strife, its people facing unimaginable and almost never-ending humanitarian crises and hardships. There is a great need for the international community to work together to help Afghanistan.

阿富汗是古代丝绸之路上的璀璨明珠，东西方文明交融之地，有着悠久历史和美丽文化。但令人痛心的是阿富汗多年来深陷战乱旋涡，特别是“喀布尔时刻”之后，阿局势雪上加霜，国家发展遭遇严重困难，人民面临严重人道危机，亟需国际社会通力协作，提供帮助。

 

Chinese traditional virtues emphasize helping people in difficulty. More than 2,000 years ago, Confucius rightly pointed out that “The man of perfect virtue is one who, desiring to turn his own merits to account, helps others to turn theirs to account.” This culture has been deeply integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation. China’s diplomacy has also inherited the above-mentioned tradition and maintained a global vision. As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China always respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and supports the Afghan people in independently determining their own destiny and choosing the development path, and we are willing to support the stability of Afghanistan as it rebuilds after so many years of war.

中华传统美德讲求扶危济困、守望相助，两千多年前，中国圣人孔子就曾说过“己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人”，这种文化已深深融入中华民族的血液当中。中国外交也继承了上述传统，坚持胸怀天下。作为阿富汗的友好邻邦，中方一贯尊重阿富汗主权、独立和领土完整，支持阿人民自主决定国家命运和选择发展道路，并为阿稳定和经济重建提供支持。

 

China is currently working to provide Afghanistan with humanitarian aid worth over 200 million Chinese yuan (equivalent to about 40 million Canadian dollars), including more than 5,000 tons of grain, as well as 3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, among other medical support and winter supplies. China is also taking a variety of measures to help Afghanistan solve its longer-term economic challenges, so that the country can gradually become economically self-sufficient.

中方正加紧落实向阿方提供价值2亿元人民币人道主义物资援助，5000多吨粮食和300万剂新冠疫苗和其他医疗、越冬物资正在源源不断运往阿富汗。中国还以多种方式帮助阿富汗解决经济困难，提升自主发展能力。

 

As we look to a more hopeful future for Afghanistan and help pull the country out of its current crisis as quickly as possible, it is also important to think about what lessons can be learned from the Afghanistan situation. I think there are at least 3 lessons to be learned:

在我们期望阿富汗能够尽快走出泥潭时，也应当思考阿富汗的故事给予我们什么启示。我认为至少有三点：

 

The first is that mutual respect between countries is extremely important. We need to seek common ground and shelve differences. The instability and harm caused by hegemonism are clearly visible in the failure of the US in Afghanistan. For 20 years, more than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or wounded in the gunfire of US troops and its ally forces, and more than 10 million people have been displaced. The Afghan War caused an average loss of 60 million US dollars on a daily basis. About 72% of the people of Afghanistan live below the poverty line, and the unemployment rate reached 38%.

一是国与国相交，要相互尊重、求同存异。霸权主义带来的只有动荡和伤害，美国在阿富汗的失败就是明证。20年来，10多万阿富汗平民伤亡，1000多万人流离失所。阿富汗战争平均每天造成6000万美元损失，约72%的民众生活在贫困线以下，失业率高达38%。

 

No two leaves in the world are identical, and no country can force its own standards, its own culture, and its own social systems upon others. History has shown time and again that violent interference and invasions only lead to disaster. All countries should aim for peaceful co-existence above all else, respecting our differences while celebrating our commonalities. This is true for Afghanistan as well as all other countries around the world.

世界上没有两片完全相同的叶子，任何国家都不应傲慢地把自身标准、自己的文化和社会制度强加给他人。历史一再证明，武力干涉、强权政治只会造成灾难，各国应该在相互尊重、求同存异基础上实现和平共处，对阿富汗如此，对其他国家亦如此。

 

The second lesson is that we need international cooperation now more than ever. Covid-19 is still ravaging the globe, with new variants such as Omicron causing countless challenges to every country. For underdeveloped countries like Afghanistan, it is even more important that the international community work together to help them get through these challenging times. We are all humans living on this pale blue dot together. All countries in the world are on the same boat and part of the community with a shared future for mankind. In the face of global challenges such as the pandemic and climate change, no country can go it alone. We shouldn’t be trying to trip each other up or benefit at the expense of one another. Rather, we should respect each other, and cooperate with honest good intentions to make life better for everyone around the world.

二是面对当下的世界，我们更加需要国际合作。新冠肺炎疫情还在肆虐全球，奥密克戎等变种来势汹汹。对于阿富汗等深陷困境的欠发达国家形势尤其困难，更加需要国际社会施加援手，方可渡过难关。世界各国都在一条船上，都是人类命运共同体的一部分，面对疫情、气候变化等全球性挑战，任何国家都难以独立应对。我们不能相互使绊，彼此夺利，而是更需要相互尊重、精诚合作。

 

The third lesson is that China and Canada should collaborate, can collaborate, and will benefit greatly from collaboration. China and Canada both pay great attention to the situation in Afghanistan, and we both believe that the humanitarian challenges there need to be urgently addressed. China is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with Canada in this regard.

三是中加两国应该合作，可以合作，也得益于合作。中加双方都关注阿富汗问题，都认为要解决阿面临的人道主义难题。中方愿同加方在涉阿问题上加强沟通合作。

 

In fact, whether it be bilateral matters or international affairs, China and Canada can find common understandings to expand cooperation and partnerships around the world, to make the world a better place, and help both of our countries prosper. China and Canada can collaborate in many ways, including trade, dealing with the pandemic, responding to climate change, promoting sustainable development, and more. Canada and China share many common understandings and common goals.

事实上，不管是双边领域，还是国际事务，中加是能够找到合作共识，应该开展合作，也可以开展合作，并且能够取得良好的合作效果的。双方合作不仅有利于两国人民，同时也造福世界。中加在经贸等领域有广阔合作空间，在抗击疫情、应对气变、推动可持续发展等方面也有广泛共同语言,希望加方能够采取务实对华政策，与中方相向而行，互利共赢。

 

Afghanistan is a long way from North America, but the experience of Afghanistan is something we can all learn from. China hopes to approach the China-Canada relationship from a perspective of mutual respect and shared success toward a better future for both of our countries, and the world as well. 

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