US military withdrawal from Afghanistan might improve China’s security, analysts say
- Some observers believe the pull-out may create more instability in neighbouring Xinjiang, but others say Beijing may benefit in the long term
- The real threat to China’s national security is the growing branch of Isis in the region, which is being suppressed by the Taliban, says one academic
At Tuesday’s Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a video speech that China “will continue to do its best” in Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliation process.
“Foreign military forces should withdraw from Afghanistan in an orderly manner in a responsible manner, and resolutely prevent various terrorist forces from taking the opportunity to cause chaos,” Wang told the meeting of 15 regional countries and other international stakeholders.
“We will work in concert with all other parties of the Istanbul Process and the international community to bring peace to every corner of Afghanistan at an early date and deliver the benefits of development to the entire Afghan people,” he said.
Given Afghanistan’s geographic proximity to Xinjiang, the withdrawal of the US forces will probably add significant pressure on China’s counterterrorism effort in the short term, but more generally will be a positive development for the overall security of China, analysts said.