May 8, 2023

China Engages With Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran: but Terrorism Remains an Issue

Abdollahian_-_Qin_meeting_(2023) — Qin Gang with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in the Chinese capital Beijing.

Much to the discomfiture of the United States, China is attempting to project its influence on Afghanistan in the presence of America’s most prominent foes, Iran and Russia, and its friends, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Of course, ally Pakistan completes the circle.

On April 13, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the Fourth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries in Samarkand. Acting Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, Saydov presided over the meeting, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian, Tajikistan Foreign Minister Mukhriddin, Turkmenistan First Deputy Foreign Minister Hajiyev, and Pakistani State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shina attended.

Xinhua reported Qin Gang saying that the current situation in Afghanistan is stable and in a “critical period of domestic and foreign policy adjustment and transformation, and it urgently needs more attention and input from the international community, especially neighboring countries.” All parties should demonstrate the neighborly spirit of good-neighborliness and friendship, and mutual assistance, promote the implementation of the outcomes of the previous foreign ministers’ meetings, and voice a common voice on supporting the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and promoting security and stability in the region.

The minister then said something that is the brainchild of President Xi Jinping about China’s new foreign policy march toward Central Asia. Qin Gang emphasized that the family has trouble and the neighbors are unsafe. The Afghan problem has been delayed for many years, stemming from “untreated old diseases” and “new diseases.” As a neighboring country, we should lead in helping Afghanistan overcome difficulties and challenges and achieve stable development.

First, it is necessary to “crack down terrorist forces in Afghanistan, eradicate the soil that breeds terrorism from the source, and resolutely prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven, breeding ground and source of proliferation of terrorism again.” At the same time, we will deepen regional cooperation in counterterrorism, anti-narcotics, and refugees, strengthen border control, and jointly help Afghanistan improve its counterterrorism capabilities and effectively curb the cross-border flow of terrorists and cause chaos.

This is a clever statement. It needs to be clarified if it targets and criticizes the ruling Taliban or seeks regional help on its behalf. In any case, the Taliban and the Xi government have been on the best of terms since the Taliban leadership visited China some time ago.

The second is to urge the US side to fulfill its responsibilities. The United States, the initiator of the Afghan problem, has not yet reflected on the serious harm it has done to the Afghan people. The US should immediately lift unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan and return Afghan overseas funds.

This is a clear shot across President Joe Biden’s bow, especially after the Americans exited Afghanistan under his watch. He has not clarified his country’s position vis-à-vis the Asian country and its troubles since the Taliban took over.

The third is to call on Atta to be inclusive and establish a government. “On the basis of respecting Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty, and national self-respect, we should guide Atta to follow the trend of the times, learn from the mature practices of other Muslim countries, and reflect more inclusiveness and progress in regime building and specific governance.” Next, to carry out practical cooperation involving Afghanistan by accelerating. Accelerate the implementation of the Tunxi Initiative, support Afghanistan in giving full play to its geographical advantages as the “Heart of Asia,” integrate into the process of regional connectivity and economic integration, and enhance its capacity for independent and sustainable development.

The Chinese government seeks to signal that apart from verbal diplomacy, it is already into project diplomacy to extend its friendship with Afghanistan and is getting the affirmation of Iran and three of the Central Asian states close to friend Russia and old China friend Pakistan.

If one looks at it closely, that is a mightly arraignment against the West, especially the United States and its allies like India, which is facing continued aggression by China on its eastern border. At the same time, Pakistan-China projects continue to disturb it on its western border.

China gave a call to the international community on Afghanistan’s behalf, in Qin Gang’s words, for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and China is willing to work with other countries to adhere to the principle of sincerity, inclusiveness, goodwill and partnership with neighbors, deepen friendship, mutual trust and integration of interests with neighboring countries, work together to promote the proper settlement of the Afghan issue, and strive for universal security and joint development in the region.

Qin Gang also presided over the second informal meeting of the four countries’ foreign ministers on the Afghan issue in Samarkand and met separately with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan Interim Government Mottaki, respectively.
According to the South China Morning Post, China will focus more on economic ties and anti-terror work with Afghanistan, an observer said, citing a position paper released as the Chinese foreign minister began his first trip to Central Asia. The paper repeated Beijing’s shared regional approach towards the Taliban regime but offered little on new policies relating to Afghanistan, according to Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Centre for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University in northwestern China.

Titled “China’s Position on the Afghan Issue,” the statement was released just as Foreign Minister Qin Gang began his first visit to Uzbekistan in his new role. It listed 11 points about China’s attitude to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in one of its most comprehensive official statements on the turbulent nation since the militant group took power again in Kabul.

It also condemned the US sanctions on Afghanistan – imposed after the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021 as the last of the American troops withdrew. The paper said China opposes “external interference and infiltration” to influence Afghanistan.

Three of the 11 points in the paper referred directly to the Taliban’s counterterrorism activities, reflecting Beijing’s eagerness to stamp out militancy in Afghanistan, which has also threatened Chinese citizens. The Turkestan Islamic Party, founded by exiled Uygur Islamic militants, has rebuilt its main base in northern Afghanistan, according to a UN Security Council report in July. Moreover, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or the Pakistani Taliban, has a growing anti-China agenda and has strengthened its presence in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.

The messaging to the US is a part of China’s growing influence. China realizes the terrorism issue can potentially destabilize the relationship it nurtures in Central Asia with the unlikeliest characters, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.

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