Letters | US’ Afghanistan debacle shows China what not to do
- Beijing must not get involved in the political process of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. As long as it’s sure Afghanistan has not become a safe haven for Uygur militants, Beijing should support the country’s development
On Sunday, the Taliban occupied Kabul and pulled a publicity stunt by entering the presidential palace, while Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled and left behind members of his administration, who were woefully fighting for the survival of a state collapsing under the weight of corruption, mismanagement and nepotism.
Indeed, the West did make significant contributions to the development of Afghanistan in economic, social and military terms. Yet, it fell short of building a unified, cross-tribal, democratic and corruption-free nation-state, having spent trillions of dollars and burying thousands of servicemen and women over the past two decades.
It would be disastrous if China decided to get involved in the political process of the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The only sensible way for China to move forward is to exact assurances from the Taliban that Afghan soil will not become a safe haven for Uygur militants, while in return, China would support the development of Afghanistan through bilateral deals involving infrastructure, education and state-to-state recognition.