MOSCOW, Oct. 31 -- China stands ready to continue working with other countries to promote peace and development in Afghanistan and in the region, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said here on Thursday.

Both as permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia have been conducting bilateral and multilateral contacts on the Afghanistan situation for a long time, Li told Xinhua as he commented on the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan that is underway in Beijing on Friday.

Ambassador Li said that the effective coordination and cooperation between China and Russia on the Afghanistan issue have pushed forward the process of peaceful reconstruction in the country.

China and Russia back Afghanistan's push for national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, Li said, stressing that both countries respect the Afghan people's choice of development path that suits their national conditions, and support a smooth transition of Afghanistan as well as its efforts to improve and develop relations with other states in the region.

The Istanbul Process is so far the only regional cooperation mechanism on Afghanistan, which is dominated by the countries in the "Heart of Asia" region and has helped to advance peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan, noted the ambassador.

The Beijing meeting is not only the first large-scale international conference on Afghanistan that China has ever hosted, but also the first international conference on Afghanistan after the formation of the new Afghan government last month.

"The conference is of great significance and shows China's firm support and concrete steps to help Afghanistan realize smooth transition, reconstruction and development, and to propel regional cooperation on the Afghanistan issue," Li said.

China hopes an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process in the country will make substantial progress at an early date under the leadership of Ghani, Li said.

Afghanistan is now in political, security and economic transition and is stepping into a 10-year transitional period, while 2014 is the pivotal year of its transition.

Li stressed that as the Istanbul Process follows the principles of regional leadership, regional ownership and consensus, China hopes the fourth ministerial conference will reinforce and expand the consensus and mutual trust among all related countries on the Afghanistan issue as well as regional security and development.

Considering the rising influence of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization in global and regional arenas, Li said, it could be a positive platform for reinforcing substantial cooperation between Afghanistan and the APEC members and preserving the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region.

Li also expressed the hope that China's initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt, which has been welcomed and highly praised by Afghanistan, a key section on the ancient Silk Road, could be taken as a chance to upgrade regional cooperation and connectivity.

In November 2011, China, Russia, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries reached an agreement in Turkey, known as the Istanbul Process, presenting a new vision for regional cooperation for a secure and stable Afghanistan.