China offers to host intra-Afghan talks and help anti-terrorism effort

China has offered to host talks between the parties in Afghanistan and pledged to help its anti-terrorism effort, in a move seen as Beijing positioning itself as a conflict mediator.

In a call with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would continue to support Afghanistan and South Asian countries in fighting the pandemic, and was willing to deepen anti-terrorism cooperation with Afghanistan.

In a separate call on the same day, Wang told Afghan national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib: “China is willing to facilitate intra-Afghan negotiations, including creating necessary conditions for holding the talks in China.”

China blames ‘abrupt’ US withdrawal for Afghanistan attack surge

According to a statement from the Afghan foreign ministry, the two sides aim to expand strategic cooperation to “ensure peace and strengthen regional consensus”, with Atmar expressing gratitude for China’s support in its peace process.

The US is expected to complete the withdrawal of its remaining 2,500 to 3,500 troops from Afghanistan by September, fuelling Beijing’s concerns that any resulting instability would pose a security threat to its neighbouring predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region.

Wang’s call came one day after a similar offer to the Israelis and Palestinians as he hosted a virtual UN Security Council meeting to discuss the deadly hostilities in the Middle East. It was a signal of Beijing’s intention to enhance its role in the region’s affairs, as part of its positioning as a global power.

The offers showed Beijing was trying to portray itself as a conflict mediator and lift its status on the world stage, according to Yan Wei, an international relations professor at Northwest University in China.

“China seeks to provide more public good to the international community, in a bid to promote its international status, so it needs to propose solutions to Middle East issues.”

Yan said Beijing would also be concerned that an unstable Afghanistan could affect Chinese investment in Central Asia.

“China’s development needs a stable external environment. And China has invested in a large number of Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure projects in Central Asia. The instability in the region will have a negative impact,” he said.

Yan said China could provide equipment and information sharing, to help strengthen Afghanistan’s ability to counter terrorism.

China looks to Central Asia on security to create ‘safe Silk Road’

It would not be the first time Beijing helped Kabul. In 2018, Afghan troops trained in China, built a mountain bridge, as part of an effort to counter attacks from al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

“China may also coordinate with Central Asian countries including Pakistan, Iran and Russia to help it fight terrorism and cross-border extremism within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation,” Yan said.

“Once the Afghan situation gets out of control, the competition for Afghanistan by multiple parties including Pakistan, Iran, India and Russia will be further intensified, which will lead to the deterioration of China’s external geopolitical environment and pose new challenges to China’s diplomacy.”