After decades of bloodshed and instability, the assurance of the Taliban for Afghans and the world couldn’t be reliable, and probably, the chain linkage of the Taliban with the extremist groups remains unbroken, despite their claims to be broken. Currently, perhaps since August 2021, Afghanistan has been under the Taliban, appearing before the most brutal Islamic laws, gendering the political and social channels and blocking international recognition due to the inefficiency caused by an exclusive male-driven system. The horrific foreign invasions and continual wars and insurgencies have de-shaped Afghanistan, ruined its pacific tribalism and paved the radicalism inside the tribal population. With the withdrawal of the U.S. military, the old problem came up with a new face. The twenty years of the longest war ended without an internal and external settlement – somewhere in Doha – somebody like the Taliban – somehow, as a peace agreement – transferred the power of governance to the Taliban, who had been consciously waiting since the fall of Afghanistan in 2001. Now, before the world, the Taliban has been a reality to be accepted and a legitimate entity to be dealt with. From nothing to everything, the Taliban has been approaching the world community to restart their foreign relations with Afghanistan, given the commitment to shut down extremist activities against other countries. As an immediate neighbour and imitable great power, China has emerged as a voice for Afghan problems, from international recognition to economic engagement. This analysis contains the emerging Afghan issues and solutions from Chinese perspectives.
China’s Principle of Shared Future for Afghanistan’s Future
In an address at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2013, President Xi Jinping decoded the concept of a global community of shared future. Based on the Chinese standard, the principle of a shared future for humanity relied upon equality, fairness, inclusivity, harmony, and eco-centricity. All five principles could be applied to Afghanistan and its future. For China, Afghanistan has been treated as a state, not a regime, as Western media interprets it; China has extended a fair chance to inculcate its perceived goals and ambitions through diplomatic channels. China has been a voice in forming an inclusive political and social system in Afghanistan; China, as its neighbourhood policy, promotes harmony with Afghanistan to secure cooperation; China has been promoting green development through BRI, which would reduce the environmental degradation of a war-ridden country like Afghanistan. The Chinese principle of a shared future generates multiple paths for Afghanistan to uplift its internal and external standards to become prosperous.
Stability of Neighbours and Afghanistan
China’s neighbourhood policy signifies amity, sincerity, mutual benefits, and inclusiveness; in particular, it seems better for China to treat neighbours as more significant than distant friends. In the recent memory of China, the problem of Uyghur militancy in the Xinjiang region was and probably has been a security concern for China. To avoid potential threats from Uyghur militants, China seeks to maintain the stability-security paradigm of Xinjiang and also maintains high-level security arrangements to counter extremism. Apart from that, China’s neighbourhood policy also aims to achieve an open regionalism, inducing the developmental syndrome through multilateralism. Through humanitarian assistance, China has extended the monetary support of 350 million RMB Yuan as an immediate response to the foreign military withdrawal in 2021. The stability of Afghanistan has been linked with the region’s stability; therefore, China’s optimum expectation from its neighbourhood policy would be to maintain cordial relations with Afghanistan. China has supported all its neighbours, including Afghanistan, to maintain regional peace and tranquillity.
Diplomatic Recognition to Taliban: A Matter of Choice
Extending diplomatic recognition to a country by another has been a matter of personal choice, not a global imperative. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has been well recognised by its Chinese counterpart, given the urgency of cooperation and goodwill for future development. China has recognised Bilal Karimi, a member of the Taliban government, as an official envoy to Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated, “China has always believed that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community”. The diplomatic intervention of China in Afghanistan has upgraded the global stand of Afghanistan, despite the reluctance of several great powers to uphold the sovereignty of the Taliban as a political entity of Afghanistan. Moreover, through such engagement, China has indirectly falsified the claims of the Western media about the identity of the Taliban as terrorists. At such a turbulent juncture, the ray of hope from the diplomatic role of China would channel Afghanistan towards inclusivity and sovereign statehood.
Development of Afghanistan Through Economic Cooperation: BRI and Beyond
Linked with civilisation and land borders, China and Afghanistan have a shared past with a potential bright future. Since the breakout of wars and insurgencies in Afghanistan, the country has been facing severe financial deterioration. As the second largest regional economy, China’s economic role would likely be more beneficial in accelerating economic development. The global initiative of China, through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has been more economical than anything else. Aiming to bridge the communication gaps through land and sea boundaries, China’s BRI project seems to have a global ambition to distribute the fruit of development and prosperity to numerous countries based on cooperation and shared prosperity. Afghanistan has formally conveyed the Chinese counterpart for joining the BRI infrastructure in the aftermath of diplomatic relations between the countries. In addition, Given the rich mineral resources in Afghanistan, such as lithium and copper, Afghanistan has also discussed the Chinese state-owned company MCC on Mes Aynak with the Chinese ambassadors to open up its valuable economic dimensions. The financial cooperation between China and Afghanistan might construct a prosperous economy for an unhealthy economy in Afghanistan.
Conclusion China has been an emerging economic and regional force in South Asia and Asia. China’s role seems immense and indomitable from economic development to regional security. In the context of Afghanistan, after the formation of a new Taliban government and the permanent disappearance of foreign troops, China’s diplomatic and economic role would be vital in shaping the future of Afghanistan. Bearing the burden of a bloody past and the internal upheavals of the present, Afghanistan has now been at the edge of diplomatic and economic needs. China, in particular, could shape Afghanistan.
