China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong has said his country not only refrains from interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs but also respects the country’s independence and territorial integrity.

In an interview with Beijing International Dialogue Center on Sunday, Yue said China is not seeking to establish a sphere of influence in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan should become a platform for cooperation among all parties instead of turning into a field for geopolitical competition,” he said.

Expressing concern over the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive government, Yue said: “Before the U.S. presence, one or two terrorist groups were active in Afghanistan, but now there are more than 20 terrorist groups operating in the country.”

The Chinese envoy also addressed the situation of women and human rights, stating: “The issue of women is only a small part of Afghanistan’s problems and is not the root cause of its challenges. Furthermore, addressing poverty, hunger, and famine is essential to ensuring human rights.”

In the past three years, U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about China’s influence in Afghanistan. Similarly, Donald Trump, during his election campaigns, repeatedly claimed that the Bagram airbase had fallen into China’s hands.

Yue meanwhile also criticized Western countries for what he called “double standards” and said: “In order to ensure human rights, the issue of poverty, hunger and famine in Afghanistan must be addressed.”

Yue also announced that he is negotiating with the Islamic Emirate to provide humanitarian aid of 1 billion yuan ($138 million) from China.

He said that part of this aid will go to Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan and Iran, so that an arrangement can be made for the return of migrants to their country.