China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan have voiced opposition to any attempt to reestablish foreign military bases in Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday.
The statement followed reports that US President Donald Trump had asked the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to return Bagram Air Base to the Pentagon.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing that foreign ministers and representatives of the four nations held an informal meeting on Afghanistan on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
The joint communiqué from the quadrilateral meeting “emphasized respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity,” Guo added.