China and Iran urge Afghanistan to end work and education restrictions on women

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, right, walks with Chinese president Xi Jinping as part of a trip to Beijing (Yan Yan/Xinhua via AP)

China and Iran have urged mutual neighbour Afghanistan to end restrictions on women’s work and education.

The call came in a joint statement on Thursday issued at the close of a visit to Beijing by the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, during which the two sides affirmed close economic and political ties and their rejection of Western standards of human rights and democracy.