• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Saturday, June 25, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

How does a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan pose a risk for China?

byJake Shropshireand Edited byKrystal Lai
August 17, 2021
in WORLD
China Afghanistan Taliban US

A member of Taliban forces (L) sits on a an armoured vehicle outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
“China has made it very clear,” said former Chinese Foreign Ministry official Victor Gao, “China will not allow Afghanistan to be used by any force as a threat to China.”

What’s the situation?

  • Geographically, China is very close to Afghanistan, and they even share a little sliver of a border. 
China Afghanistan Taliban US
  • More importantly though, several of the countries along China’s western border consist primarily of Muslim populations, and the influence from the Taliban is pretty strong in some of them. 
  • And, according to a lecturer at the Chinese Armed Police Force Academy, Uyghur “separatists” in the Xinjiang region of China had been trained in weapons and explosive devices in Taliban training camps.
  • Previously, when the United States occupied Afghanistan, the threat from the Taliban was relatively mitigated, and their influence in the region was somewhat informal.
  • But now that the US has pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban has taken control of basically the whole country.

How big of a threat is radical Islam to China?

  • Islamic terrorism poses a very real threat to China.
  • In 2016, a suicide bomb attack on the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan was carried out by a Uyghur militant group, according to Kyrgyz authorities. 
  • And last month, nine Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in Pakistan, carried out by “the Pakistani Taliban out of Afghanistan,” according to officials in Islamabad. 
  • These attacks, China fears, could become more common in a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan that could allow radical Islam to flourish. 
  • China isn’t necessarily the only one worried about increased terrorism after the US pulled out of the country; the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, issued a warning to congressional leaders Sunday saying that terrorist groups could rise in Afghanistan. 

Is there any good news for China?

  • Sort of. One of the opportunities for China right now is that, without the US in Afghanistan, China also has the potential to gain influence in the region. 
  • Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with senior Taliban officials last month, saying the Taliban would play an important role in rebuilding Afghanistan. 
  • But, at the meeting, Wang also demanded the Taliban cut ties with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), blaming it for several terrorist attacks in Xinjiang.
  • “China has made it very clear,” said former Chinese Foreign Ministry official Victor Gao, “China will not allow Afghanistan to be used by any force as a threat to China.”
  • The big question that remains to be seen is how the Taliban is when it comes to diplomatic agreements.
  • And, according to former National Security Spokesman for former President Barack Obama, Tommy Vietor, agreements made by the Taliban “are not worth the paper they’re written on.”

What’s China saying about this whole situation?

  • Chinese state media outlet Global Times has been critical of the US withdrawal, calling on the US to “correct its mistakes,” and saying that any attempt to work with China on issues in Afghanistan would have to come with respect for China’s core interests. 
  • “If the US wants to get China’s cooperation, it needs to show enough sincerity by taking actions to correct its mistakes, such as double standards on counterterrorism and confrontation against China in other fields, Chinese experts warned,” the article wrote.
  • But, China has also said that there are clear common interests between it and the US in Afghanistan, including preventing terrorism growth. 
  • In terms of military action, China has rejected the notion that it might send troops to Afghanistan to fill a void left by the US, calling it “totally groundless.”
  • This is somewhat in line with China’s position on foreign relations, which is that it tries not to interfere internationally, but rather simply exchanges diplomatic and economic relations. 

What’s next?

  • There are a couple of things that will be good indicators for what we’re looking at going forward. 
  • First, the big question is whether or not the Taliban can be trusted to make agreements internationally that they’re willing to keep within Afghanistan. 
  • This will not only help China decide where to go diplomatically going forwards, but will be an indicator to the world if the Taliban is looking to control and govern the country with relative normalcy, or if it should simply be treated as a rogue state. 
  • Second, it remains to be seen what kind of work will be done between China and the US.
  • With similar interests in mitigating terrorism, it is possible that an agreement could be met to work together in the region, but nothing has yet been openly discussed between the governments.
  • Ultimately, Afghanistan is a highly volatile country right now, and stability will be required in the region for any other countries to take it very seriously, and that’s what everyone – not just China – is looking for.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

. . .

Related

Tags: superpower relations
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Putin meeting

What you need to know about the BRICS summit, Putin’s first major multilateral meeting since invading Ukraine

June 23, 2022
Russia China oil

Russia has become China’s biggest oil supplier

June 21, 2022
Biden China tariffs

Biden says he’s making up his mind about the Trump-era US tariffs on China

June 20, 2022

France, Germany, Italy and Romania support Ukraine’s membership into the EU

June 17, 2022

Putin and Xi speak on the phone, but there are different versions of what happened

June 17, 2022

Russia’s energy exports remain at a record-high

June 14, 2022

Some key takeaways from the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

June 13, 2022

Iran turns off 2 surveillance cameras at a nuclear site

June 9, 2022

Chinese tech shares see a comeback after the government approves a batch of video game licenses

June 9, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • Human stories
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
    The Millennial Source
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.