An assemblage of young diplomats from Afghanistan is in Washington for a two-week session as part of a training program jointly organized by China and the United States.
For the third year now, China and the U.S. have mounted this joint program to provide diplomatic, management and communication skills training to young envoys from Kabul who are in the formative years of their career.
Under the program, the group visits the two countries to hone their skills and further their knowledge of diplomacy work. The group was in China in May for as much time as in Washington.
In the U.S., the participants will learn more about U.S. policy regarding Afghanistan, US-China relations and the way foreign policy is drafted in the U.S., according to People Daily.
"I'm happy that the U.S. and China have come to see support for Afghanistan's sovereignty and economic development as an area of common interest and action," said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Dan Feldman during the opening ceremony of the program in Washington on Monday.
Meanwhile, Wu Xi, minister of Chinese Embassy in the U.S., said that the joint program is "a good example of how the new model of major-country relationship between China and the United States can contribute to the region."
Ahmad Nawid Ariayl, one of the participants, described the training as "useful and productive," and that he had gained much from previous sessions, particularly in the fields of communication and negotiation.
Among the activities lined up for the diplomats' visit are a visit to the Afghan and Chinese embassies, a tour of Washington D.C. and a meeting with diplomats and scholars from different research institutions.