July 13, 2021
4 mins read

Taliban welcomes China to Afghanistan

China has already declared that it was ready to extend the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship of the BRI to Afghanistan…reports Atul Aneja

The broad contours of nexus between China, Pakistan and the Taliban are now visible in plain sight after the militant group has gone public in welcoming Beijings role in Afghanistans reconstruction and guaranteeing that anti-China insurgents are rooted out of the country.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP) last week, the Taliban’s spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, sought China’s support for Afghanistan’s reconstruction “as soon as possible”. Shaheen described China as a “friend” and promised to ensure the safety and security of Chinese nationals whose presence would be inevitable if Beijing undertakes projects after Afghanistan’s political transition, where the Taliban could play a dominant role.

“We welcome them (Chinese nationals). If they have investments of course we ensure their safety. Their safety is very important for us,” he said in a telephonic interview with the daily.

China blames US for Afghan crisis

In tune with Beijing’s demand, Shaheen publicly announced that Taliban would bar entry of China’s Uyghur separatists in the country. For China, denial of Uyghur sanctuaries in Afghanistan would be a precondition for its engagement with Afghanistan. The Wakhan corridor that separates Afghanistan from China can be a gateway for Uyghur insurgents to enter the Xinjiang region — the bridgehead of to Beijing’s pan-Eurasian connectivity projects under President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

ALSO READ: Afghan forces retaliate against Taliban attack

China maintains active contacts with the Taliban, and Beijing has already declared that with Pakistan’s support, it is not averse to the group’s political role if it follows the rules. “China, along with Pakistan, is willing to continue support for all parties in Afghanistan to seek a political solution through dialogue that leads to ethnic reconciliation and long-lasting peace,” Chinese foreign minister and state councillor Wang Yi said last week. Wang’s view docks with the Taliban’s recent China-friendly statements.

“We have been to China many times and we have good relations with them,” Shaheen told SCMP. “China is a friendly country that we welcome for reconstruction and developing Afghanistan.”

China has already declared that it was ready to extend the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship of the BRI to Afghanistan, a country super-rich with unexploited minerals.

Afghanistan has the world’s largest unexploited reserves of copper, coal, iron, gas, cobalt, mercury, gold, lithium and thorium, valued at over US$1 trillion, the SCMP reported.

China has also entered Afghanistan’s oil and gas sector. In 2011, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) secured a 25-year contract to drill three oil fields, containing an estimated 87 million barrels of oil. Apart from the $400 million project, China also has the rights to mine copper at Mes Aynak in Logar province, not far from Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.

The Chinese gameplan in Afghanistan rides on at least three pivots.

First, China wants to pivot Afghanistan in its direction and dock Kabul with Beijing’s Belt and Road projects. That structural change is possible by extending the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan. Right now, CPEC starts from the Arabian sea port of Gwadar in Pakistan and the heads to Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang province. But it can be further extended into Afghanistan, the gateway to Uzbekistan and the heart of Central Asia.

“China wants to extend the BRI network in Afghanistan and has been in contact with the Taliban since 2014. It recently pledged a road network and various energy projects for Taliban in exchange for peace but nothing concrete has been heard from the Taliban,” geopolitical analyst Mark Kinra told India Narrative.

Second, by drawing Afghanistan in new structural networks, the Chinese want to wean away Kabul’s dependence on India and the West, thus, geopolitically positioning the country firmly into Eurasian multilateral structures, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Taliban

Third, once Afghanistan enters the “new era,” China is expected to gun for Afghanistan’s vast natural resources. Gwadar and Karachi would become natural gateways for transporting this raw material to industrial hubs, from where they are marketed and sold across the world at high profits.

Pakistan has already declared that it will wholeheartedly back Chinese forays in Afghanistan, including accepting the treatment of Uyghur’s by China, which has been accused of gross human rights violations against them in Xinjiang. “Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China, we actually accept the Chinese version,” Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was quoted as saying on July 1.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ: Taliban guided by Pakistan’s special forces

Previous Story

‘The Paradox of Opposites’

Next Story

Biden backs protesters in Cuba as stir intensifies

Latest from -Top News

Trump Warns Musk: ‘Close Shop or Go Home’

Trump’s warning on his Truth Social platform late on Tuesday (US time) came amid the feud between him and Musk over the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’….reports Asian Lite News Former US President

India-US Trade Deal Likely This Week

The interim trade deal would be an initial step towards a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement between Indian and the US….reports Asian Lite News India is expected to finalise an interim trade

One Year Later, Hasina’s Son Raises Red Flag

Hasina’s abrupt exit last August after violent student protests was widely seen as a blow to democracy in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million….reports Asian Lite News Sajeeb Wazed, son of former

Global South Finds Its Campus in India

The question is no longer if India can attract global talent, but whether it can build the conditions to do so at scale—with care and vision. Done right, India could emerge as

Jaishankar Gets Real on India-US Ties

The EAM underlined the structural drivers of the bilateral relationship, saying, “The trend line over the last 25 years has actually been very strong….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Taliban Minister Slams Afghanistan’s Poor Quality of Education

Habibullah Agha asked the Taliban and religious scholars to pay

Tibetan Plateau to Get Spotlight at COP26

Just ahead of the COP26, slated to meet between October