China tipped to push US on Afghan stability at Doha meeting

Name: Why Afghanistan matters to China as US withdraws from war-torn country
Uploaded: 2021-08-11T10:46:09.000Z
Duration: 6 min 22 s
Description: Why Afghanistan matters to China as US withdraws from war-torn country

Beijing is concerned about the turmoil in Afghanistan posing a security threat to its Xinjiang region and investments in Central Asia

Slew of air strikes in recent days is proof the US won’t be able to make a clean break too easily, observers say

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An internally displaced child from the northern provinces, who fled his home during fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces, receives medical treatment in Kabul on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Rachel Zhang

Published: 6:46pm, 11 Aug 2021Updated: 6:46pm, 11 Aug 2021

The latest US air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan are a sign that it may not be easy for Washington to completely get out of the chaos in the war-torn nation, with China expected to pressure the US on the matter at an upcoming meeting in Qatar.

Diplomatic observers said China will be pushing for the US to continue its role in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American and Nato troops this month.

The meeting in Doha, starting on Wednesday, will include US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, as well as officials from Russia, China and Pakistan, and will aim to push the warring parties in Afghanistan to resume peace negotiations.

06:22

Why Afghanistan matters to China as US withdraws from war-torn country

The US has launched air strikes on Afghanistan for weeks from its airbase in Qatar and its carrier strike group in the Persian Gulf, using AC-130 gunships and MQ-9 Reaper drones to attack the Taliban.

The flurry of recent air strikes signalled it would not be so easy for the US to withdraw completely within a short period of time, said Li Weijian, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Middle East Studies based in Kunming.

“Although the US wants to get out of Afghanistan affairs as soon as possible, it still has some price left to pay before it can do so: because it has become involved too deeply in Afghanistan to just make a clean break within a short time,” Li said. “In view of the rapid progress being made by the Taliban, the US still needs to act to contain the group.”

02:34

Taliban seizes Kunduz, 4 other provincial capitals as fighting escalates with Afghan forces

Taliban fighters on Wednesday took control of Faizabad in the northeastern province of Badakhshan – the eighth provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in six days.