New Afghan President Ghani Visits China

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) review a guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on October 28.

New Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has begun a three-day official trip to China.

Ghani met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders on October 28, and is expected to sign agreements on bilateral relations and cooperation while he is in China.

Energy-hungry China is a key investor in Afghanistan, which has an estimated $1 trillion worth of mineral resources, and has secured major oil and copper-mining deals there.

China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing will continue to "provide all assistance within its power to aid Afghanistan's peaceful rebuilding."

In Beijing, Ghani will also attend a gathering of the Istanbul Process, a 14-member regional grouping that focuses on security, economic, and political issues.

Afghanistan and China share a 76-kilometer border between the remote, mountainous Wakhan Corridor and China's far western Xinjiang region.

Ghani took office in September after a lengthy election dispute.

His first trip abroad was a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia on October 25.

Based on reporting by AP and xinhuanet.com