Afghanistan-China Relations: Terrorism and Cooperation

With the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the former potential ties between the Chinese government and the Taliban regime have been exposed, and China has quickly begun to intervene in the region's political and economic affairs. Hundreds of thousands of Uighur bakers, including thousands of Uighur bakers, have been rumored to be in Afghanistan after the Chinese government sent aid to Afghanistan through Kashgar, which has been devastated by the devastation of the war. The Taliban, once known as the "world's largest terrorist group," has a very friendly relationship with China, and the Chinese government, which has been massacring Uighurs through Islam, has been paying close attention to Afghanistan.

China, which is fighting terrorism, has "befriended" the Taliban

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid a surprise visit to Kabul on March 24, becoming the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban took power. According to Reuters, Wang Yi had a special meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki that day to discuss political and economic ties between the two sides, as well as China's mining in Afghanistan. Although the Chinese government, like other regimes, has not yet recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government in Afghanistan, their close contact with the Taliban has attracted strong attention from all walks of life.

As for the issue, the director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska, Sher Jan Ahmadzai, who has served as the office director of Afghan President Hamid Karzai for years, has been increasingly vocal about his friendship with Afghanistan and China. Special mention. In his view, Afghanistan and China need each other now, and the need for each other has made this friendship quicker.

"It simply came to our notice then. No one has yet been able to fill the void created by the U.S. military's withdrawal. Neither China nor Russia or any other major force has yet been able to do so. If there is one person who has taken over this space and brought it together, then it is Pakistan, which has the highest interest in Afghanistan than any other country. So now the Taliban regime is having the closest relationship with Pakistan. But that doesn't mean there are no security concerns in Afghanistan right now. Only a new government took office there. The emerging Taliban regime has, in a sense, filled the gap in a real way. In that case, I think China has a lot of interest in Afghanistan: One is that China has benefited greatly from the peace situation created by the world's major powers in Afghanistan over the past two decades. From this point of view, China has not been harmed by the Afghan side. Second, China wants to keep copper mines in Afghanistan as long as it does not support the "independence of East Turkestan" in Afghanistan. "So China is politically motivated in Afghanistan to have nothing to worry about, and to be able to benefit a little bit economically." Second, China wants to keep copper mines in Afghanistan as long as it does not support the "independence of East Turkestan" in Afghanistan. "So China is politically motivated in Afghanistan to have nothing to worry about, and to be able to benefit a little bit economically." Second, China wants to keep copper mines in Afghanistan as long as it does not support the "independence of East Turkestan" in Afghanistan. "So China is politically motivated in Afghanistan to have nothing to worry about, and to benefit economically, albeit slightly."

In his view, the fact that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's stop in Kabul on his way to attend an Islamic Council meeting in Islamabad as an observer seemed to be a normal visit, but in essence it still revolves around those goals. During our conversation, Andrew Scobell, a senior researcher at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. Other Chinese aspirations and goals to replace the United States in Afghanistan are being met with great caution rather than speed. At the same time, they are also looking for economic opportunities in Afghanistan. But we must not forget that the major powers that have invaded Afghanistan through military force, such as the former Soviet Union many years ago and the recent United States, have not succeeded in doing so. China is very aware of this and is very wary of getting stuck in the mud here. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid a visit to Kabul. This is the highest-ranking Chinese leader to step foot in Kabul since the Taliban came to power. But they are still very careful. Clearly, political factors play a key role in this. In addition, there are economic targets such as the extraction of copper mines from Afghanistan. But for China, there are a number of issues.

Is there a threat to China in Afghanistan?

According to Sherjan Ahmadzai, such diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and China are not recent and have been going on for a long time. The Chinese government’s desire to completely imprison the Uyghurs in a “helpless” state has also played an important role in this regard.

"It simply came to our notice then. Over the past few years, the Chinese government has repeatedly held secret talks and contacts with Taliban forces under Pakistani mediation. Following the meeting in Doha, Taliban leaders also paid a visit to Beijing to discuss a number of issues. The motivation for "need" played a bigger role in their relationship than "neighborliness" or "friendship". As I said in Bayat, the "need" here is the same sense of security and economic benefit. It is especially important for China not to have forces fighting for the "liberation of East Turkestan" in Afghanistan. China has long discussed the issue with the Afghan government (Karzai era) many years ago. This concern is still unresolved. This is because the area, known as East Turkistan, was at the time a walled alley with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. So even though there is no big market for China in Afghanistan, China is still interested in this ‘bag street’ shaped space. In terms of resources, the copper mine in Afghanistan is the largest. "

Although the Chinese government has been talking for years about a number of "terrorist" organizations, such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, it has been targeting China, but has not yet provided clear evidence. Sean Roberts, a professor at the University of George Washington, also based his research on the findings that "there is no evidence to support the existence of such an organization." Shortly after the U.S. government removed the organization from its list of terrorist groups, the Chinese government criticized it as an "intentional double standard." Commenting on the issue, Mr. Sherjan stated that it was not possible for Uyghur anti-Chinese organizations in Afghanistan to take any action.

"I have never heard the Taliban issue a statement saying that there is a threat to China in Afghanistan," he said. They don’t allow that either. But I have personally heard Taliban leaders say that "no individual or organization in the territory of Afghanistan is allowed to engage in activities against neighboring countries, including China." But it is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Even if these organizations are in such a state of mind, the ruling forces that are holding them back will not allow them to do so. And again, these would mean that you have to spend for these processes.

Imran Khan: "The path taken by the Chinese government is one of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad!"

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been repeatedly questioned by the international media since the Chinese government described the massacre of Uyghurs as "genocide" by the United States and some Western countries. But he has often insisted that he is doing it in the form of a talk show or a "talk show." However, Imran Khan's remarks were published in the Republic newspaper on March 27. During a meeting in Islamabad, Imran Khan praised the Chinese government, saying, "The Chinese government has lifted 700 million people out of poverty. This is exactly the style of governing the country that he has used in Russia. " According to historical records, Abdughopour Peacht Damullam, the chairman of the Kashgar Provincial Assembly in the 1930s and the imam of the Kashgar Idigah Mosque, made the same statement, praising the executioner Sheng Shisei, who shed the blood of tens of thousands of Uyghurs, and said: If it was said that a prophet would come again, then Mr. Sheng Duban would be a prophet. "

Speaking of which, Mr. Sher Jan emphasizes that this would be an extreme betrayal: “Imran Khan’s statement is almost completely hypocritical. Because while Muslims are being massacred on the one hand, his claim that 'Muslims were not massacred' is a contradiction. But if we look at the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, we find that this has a long history. So I don't think Pakistan will ever make a statement that offends China and breaks its friendship with China. So not a single word from China that condemns China or wants to hear it. Because it harms the interests of both. So this will never happen.

As for how long the friendship between China and Afghanistan will last, Dr. Andrew says that this "economic gain" strategy is widely used not only in Afghanistan, but in the entire Islamic world, and because of this "language shortage", governments in the Islamic world are anti-Chinese. "I think that's a very interesting question," he said. This friendship is based on close interests and trade. This includes what both sides expect from the other side. So we cannot say that they will be "old friends". Because this friendship is built on mutual cooperation and interests. This is not the only case between China and the Taliban or the Afghan government. Many Muslim countries have already been imported into China in this way. That is why no Muslim state has ever openly condemned China's repression of the Uyghurs. No country can put water in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party in its tricks. "So one of the biggest differences today is that the United States and other Western countries are condemning China's repression of the Uyghurs and the Islamic world's silence on this kind of reality."

It is alleged that the ambassador provided the information to Hussein during a telephone conversation with Hussein. But these governments are emphasizing that they are putting their own "national interests" first and not "losing the camel as a button."