New Delhi: For long China’s declared strategic policy gave the impression that it wasn’t too keen on building influence in Afghanistan once the US forces withdrew nor was it willing to fill the void left by the Americans when they leave before September 11, 2021. But recent moves belie that belief in an indication that China may be looking at Afghanistan with new interest.
The latest moves started to gain traction in May. Last month, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a telephonic conversation with Hamdullah Mohib, national security advisor to the Afghan president, offered to mediate and facilitate internal negotiations among various contesting parties in Afghanistan, including offering to host such negotiations in China.
China was a major player even in the multinational peace talks that took place on the Afghanistan issue.
And then on Thursday, China hosted the fourth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue where Minister Wang Yi met the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Mohammad Haneef Atmar respectively on the issue of security, peace and rebuilding Afghanistan post the US departure.
Set up in 2017, the trilateral platform is now being pushed with renewed vigour by China as part of its changed policy on Afghanistan.
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Of course, Chinese interest in Afghanistan is obvious as an unstable Afghanistan led by religious extremist forces like the Taliban would be a huge security issue in the nearby Chinese Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang where the Uygurs have raised the banner of revolt against Beijing under the leadership of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).
Significantly, the foreign ministers on Thursday jointly called for strengthened efforts to combat the ETIM.
What is worrying in these developments in the gradual sidelining of India in the affairs of Afghanistan where India had a prominent place in the high table till recently.
The first salvo against India in its involvement in Afghanistan was fired by none other than its traditional friend Russia when India was kept out of the March 18 talks that were held in Moscow at the level of special representatives of Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan.
Russian antagonism against India is due to India’s increased proximity with the US which peaked during President Donald Trump’s term, the legacy of which is being difficult to shake out now. Moreover, with President Joe Biden’s focus on Russia as US’ prime rival, Russia would be reluctant to yield space to India.
On the other hand, the relationship between India and China has plummeted to new lows in the last one year leading to a faceoff across the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh which has resulted in the biggest mobilization of military assets between the two Asian giants.
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