US soldiers who are part of the Nato deployment are seen through the cracked window of an armoured vehicle in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province in July 2018. US retrenchment in Afghanistan was a campaign promise by President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
Opinion
Opinion
US exit from Afghanistan would leave the way clear for China to increase its influence in the region
- China’s shared border with Afghanistan through the Wakhan Valley and its model of non-intervention are advantages it can exploit to cement its foothold
- The withdrawal of US troops would also send a serious message of diminishing US power
US soldiers who are part of the Nato deployment are seen through the cracked window of an armoured vehicle in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province in July 2018. US retrenchment in Afghanistan was a campaign promise by President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP