China and Afghanistan will sign an agreement in the coming days deepening their ties, Afghan officials said, as the U.S.-led coalition prepares to pull out of the country. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will hold talks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Beijing this week where they will seal a pact, which will cover a broad spectrum, including security cooperation. Afghanistan has signed a number of strategic partnership agreements in recent months, including with the United States, India and Britain described by one Afghan official as taking out “insurance cover” for the period after the foreign troops leave in 2014.
