ISLAMABAD – The topic – Taliban has been invited to China to participate inthe intra-Afghan dialogue – has attracted worldwide attention. The moveshows China’s contribution to Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliationprocess. But some people are turning a blind eye to it. Alice Wells, USacting assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, claimed in Septemberthat “China has not contributed to the economic development of Afghanistan.We have not seen any substantial assistance from China.” Yao Jing, Chineseambassador to Pakistan and former ambassador to Afghanistan, soon lashedout at Wells for being “ignorant about what China’s cooperation withAfghanistan is.”
China is Afghanistan’s major trading partner. In November 2018, an airtrade corridor between the two was established, which, according to Afghanofficial estimates, would help Afghanistan transport 23,000 tons of pinenuts to the Chinese market annually, with up to $800 million in revenue.China is also stepping up efforts on Afghan infrastructure programs,including highways and electrical transmission projects.
When Wells said the China-proposed Belt and Roadlink initiative (BRI)was a “slogan” and “not any reality” in Afghanistan, she made people wonderwhat “reality” meant. Does it mean US fighter jets and tanks, or the US ownstrategic calculation in Afghanistan – offsetting Russia’s influence inCentral Asia, containing Iran and China, or US double standards onterrorism?
China has been stepping up efforts to provide economic assistance toregional countries, including – but not limited to – Afghanistan. Sluggisheconomies are one of the fundamental reasons for the vicious cycle of chaosin the region. Beijing’s approach is to improve local infrastructure,increase local employment opportunities and income through investment,assistance and personnel training under the framework of the BRI. Themethod will lay the foundation for the region’s future development. It isabout interconnecting the entire area, which will help solve Afghanistan’sfragile situation.
Conflicts in Afghanistan are complicated. Internal ethnic and politicaldivisions, the hostility between the US and Taliban, contradictions betweenWashington and the Afghan government, and multiple disputes and differencesbetween major powers and regional countries are intertwined. Creating asolution is thus not easy. The US approach failed to bring hope for peacein the country. Worse, negotiations between the US and Taliban collapsed inSeptember after Washington walked away from their talks.
China initiated an “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned” way to mediate in the Afghanconflict. The philosophy is based on the Afghanistan’s own situation andthe international community’s universal principle of dealing with similarissues. Beijing has been promoting talks between different internalpolitical forces and firmly believes that the future of Afghanistan shouldbe chosen and grasped by Afghan people. It is offering help withoutmeddling in other’s affairs. Its proposal, without any preconditions, ismore beneficial to bridging the gap between rivals in Afghanistan.
Beijing’s solution needs no approval from Washington. But the latter, whichhas let people down many times by providing no efficient resolution toboost the Afghan peace process, accused China of alleged zero contributionsto Afghanistan. What is the US up to?