China will walk cautiously in Afghanistan and its main goal would be to work with the Taliban on border security, a former U.S. ambassador to Beijing said Friday.
The world’s second-largest economy is one of the few countries to establish friendly relations with the Taliban even before the militant group took control of Afghanistan in a matter of days last month.
“I hope China is very careful,” said Max Baucus, who was the U.S. ambassador to China between February 2014 and January 2017 under former President Barack Obama, on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.” .
“They will not try to take over the country as other countries have done, including the United States,” he said, adding that China is concerned about possible terrorist attacks within its borders or against Chinese targets in the region. made from Afghan soil.
“Their main concern is East Turkestan. They are going to work with the Taliban to make sure there is very little terrorism coming from Afghanistan,” Baucus said, referring to the Uighur extremist group called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
The former ambassador added that developments in Afghanistan will test the United States as its global political and military influence diminishes after its withdrawal, leaving room for others such as China to fill the void.
“This will test the United States,” Baucus said, adding, “We do not yet have a strongly defined policy for China and now this withdrawal will complicate the development of this strategic policy toward China.”
Afghanistan’s natural resources
For years, Afghanistan was an important garden for China, according to Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam, who previously served as deputy security adviser to former President Ashraf Ghani.
“Their interest is purely economic and political,” he told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Friday, adding that the Taliban and the Chinese government have very little in common other than “challenging the U.S. presence in the region.” (i) to challenge NATO allies. “
China is interested in trillions of dollars worth of Afghanistan’s untapped mineral resources that could help Beijing increase its global influence, according to Hamdam, who had also been a senior NATO adviser to Afghanistan.
He explained that China may position itself as an alternative source for the Taliban, as Afghanistan desperately needs economic aid.
Taliban forces patrol near the front door of Hamid Karzai International Airport, a day after the withdrawal of US troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 31, 2021.
Stringer | Reuters