Beijing saw the opportunity to reset its relationship with Washington, which needed its support and agreed to label ETIM a terrorist group.
Analysts say a ‘marriage of counterterrorism convenience’ looks likely as the US vows to fight militancy and the Taliban seeks to remove threats to its rule.
Immediately after September 11 attacks in the US, China drew a link between the global counterterrorism effort and separatism and Islamic extremism in Xinjiang.
Groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Shabab in Somalia may step up their insurgencies after the fall of the Afghan capital.
The attack triggered a wave of security measures that travellers initially found tedious but have become accustomed to today.
The region largely welcomed greater US cooperation after 9/11, with the war on terror helping some Asean states to further their own agendas.
The Taliban’s victory could give rise to bolder attacks by other extremist groups, threatening China’s economic interests.
