China’s ambassador to Kabul Zhao Xing, said in a meeting with Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, the administrative deputy prime minister of the Islamic Emirate, that relations between the two countries were unique on a regional level and that China wants to expand these relations as much as possible in the political, economic and cultural fields.

Zhao said in order to further strengthen relations between the two countries, China provides scholarships to Afghan students and also organizes short-term training courses to improve the capacity of Afghans.

In addition to expressing his sympathy to the victims of the recent flash floods in the country, the Chinese ambassador also announced his country’s offer of $100,000 in aid to flood victims.

Hanafi in turn described relations between the two countries as historical and emphasized the need to keep expanding these ties.

He also said the IEA appreciates China’s position regarding the Islamic Emirate in international forums and said that the Islamic Emirate supports China’s policy and Beijing’s economic projects such as One Belt and One Road.

Hanafi added that the Islamic Emirate wants good relations with all countries and does not allow anyone to use Afghanistan’s soil against other countries.

He said the IEA expects other countries to treat Afghanistan based on mutual respect.

The debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan. 2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, United Nations sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee in a report seen by Reuters on Monday.

In the 32-page report, the U.N. sanctions monitors concluded that “debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 2 January 2024 derives from a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missile” and is in violation of the arms embargo on North Korea.

Formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006, and those measures have been strengthened over the years.

Three sanctions monitors traveled to Ukraine earlier this month to inspect the debris and found no evidence that the missile was made by Russia. They “could not independently identify from where the missile was launched, nor by whom.”

“Information on the trajectory provided by Ukrainian authorities indicates it was launched within the territory of the Russian Federation,” they wrote in an April 25 report to the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee.

“Such a location, if the missile was under control of Russian forces, would probably indicate procurement by nationals of the Russian Federation,” they said, adding that this would be a violation of the arms embargo imposed on North Korea in 2006.

The Russian and North Korean missions to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report by the sanctions monitors, Reuters reported.

The U.S. and others have accused North Korea of transferring weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations, but vowed last year to deepen military relations.

At a U.N. Security Council meeting in February, the U.S. accused Russia of launching DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on at least nine occasions.

The U.N. monitors said the Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles were first publicly tested by Pyongyang in 2019, Reuters reported.

Russia last month vetoed the annual renewal of the U.N. sanctions monitors – known as a panel of experts – that has for 15 years monitored enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The mandate for the current panel of experts will expire on Tuesday.

Within days of the Jan. 2 attack, the Kharkiv region prosecutor’s office showcased fragments of the missile to the media, saying it was different from Russian models and “this may be a missile which was supplied by North Korea.”

Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Shehabuddin Delawar has said in a meeting with officials of a Chinese company that the export of raw minerals for processing abroad is no longer allowed.

He said the ministry will work with foreign mining companies as long as they also process the minerals in Afghanistan.

Delawar said this during a meeting with China’s state-owned company MCC Holoda, and Chinese officials from the company contracted to extract copper from Mes Aynak.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said in a statement that MCC Holoda is one of the largest mining and processing companies in China for copper, lead and zinc.

According to the statement, the company has expressed an interest in investing in copper, lead and zinc mines in Afghanistan.

Delawar welcomed their interest and said there are lead and zinc mines in Bamyan, Kandahar and Ghor provinces, and if the company agrees to process minerals inside Afghanistan, the ministry will cooperate with it.

Delawar also discussed the Mes Aynak copper project and called for acceleration of work at the mine.