The security, economic, social and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated considerably after Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021. The Afghanistan issue has largely been seen as a national security issue in China. Following the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, it was expected that China will increase its role in the country. Over the years, China continued to engage the Taliban and provided modest humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. On 12 April 2023, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, for the first time, issued a document titled “China’s Position on the Afghan Issue”.[i] The objective of this paper is to analyse the Chinese document and understand China’s approach towards Afghanistan.
China’s position paper
The Chinese position paper on Afghanistan consists of 11 points, which are as follows:
(i) Adhering to the “Three Respects” and “Three Nevers”[ii], (ii) Supporting moderate and prudent governance in Afghanistan, (iii) Supporting peace and reconstruction of Afghanistan, (iv) Supporting Afghanistan in countering terrorism resolutely and forcefully, (v) Calling for greater bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, (vi) Working together to fight terrorism, separatism and extremism in Afghanistan, (vii) Urging the US to live up to its commitments and responsibilities in Afghanistan, (viii) Opposing external interference and infiltration in Afghanistan, (ix) Strengthening international and regional coordination on the Afghan issue, (x) Facilitating solution to Afghanistan’s humanitarian and refugee crises, (xi) Supporting Afghanistan’s fight against narcotics.
The Chinese leadership has referred to these points on different occasions over the last two years. The position paper first highlights that it respects independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and does not interfere in its internal affairs. It also hopes that Afghanistan could build an open and inclusive political structure.
Counter terrorism
It is noteworthy that 3 out of 11 points of the document refer to fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. The Chinese government has blamed the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for terrorist activities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), which aims to set up an independent “East Turkistan”. According to UN reports, ETIM has maintained close ties with the Taliban and Al-Qaida.[iii]
China was among the first few countries to establish diplomatic contact with the Taliban regime and declared that it was ready for “friendly and cooperative” relations. The Chinese government viewed the Afghan Taliban as an important military and political force in Afghanistan.[iv] But it always highlighted the need for Afghan Taliban to effectively deal with terrorism, especially ETIM. However, some think tanks in China highlight that the return of Taliban to power has increased the terrorist problem in Afghanistan. A report from the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Beijing notes:
As the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan continues to fester, the threat of terrorism in the region has risen significantly … The chaos in Afghanistan will be difficult to resolve for a while and may have serious spill-over effects at any time. The return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan has greatly stimulated other extremist groups in the region, and the terrorist forces in Afghanistan have grown again. [v]
The above assessment reflects the prevailing grave situation in Afghanistan. This is also a tacit acknowledgement that China failed to understand the implications of Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan. In December 2022, there was a terror attack on Longan Hotel, also known as Chinese Hotel, in central Kabul. This was claimed by the Islamic State. China had advised its citizens to leave the country after the attack. The China’s Foreign Ministry called on the “Afghan interim government” to take “strong and resolute measures to ensure the security of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects in Afghanistan”.[vi]
The Chinese position paper talks about “supporting Afghanistan in countering terrorism resolutely and forcefully” as well as bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation. The position paper “hopes that Afghanistan will fulfil its commitment in earnest and take more effective measures to crack down on all terrorist forces including the ETIM with greater determination”.[vii] (emphasis added).
Chinese experts have opined that a higher degree of instability and uncertainty may lead to higher threats to Chinese interests. Prof. Li Li, Tsinghua University, Beijing, highlights China’s demands, especially “a clean break from all terrorist organisations including ETIM” as “fundamental precondition for the Taliban regime to normalise relations with China”.[viii]
There is a need to understand the source of terrorism in the region. China has seen the issue of Afghanistan primarily through the prism of Pakistan. Counter-terrorism cooperation cannot be successful until Pakistan stops sheltering, arming and training terrorist groups.
China’s resource diplomacy
The Chinese position paper mentions that China will help Afghanistan in peaceful reconstruction and development. However, the facts indicate that China’s financial contribution has been modest. China has donated 250 million Yuan (US$ 38 million) of aid to Afghanistan. Evidence suggests that China is more interested in making investments in Afghanistan’s resources and its extraction. Afghanistan is a resource-rich country.[ix] A decade ago, American experts estimated the value of Afghanistan’s mineral resources at US$ 1 trillion.[x]
Some scholars have termed China’s foreign policy as “resource-based foreign policy” and argued that such policy has been a key to the economic growth.[xi] Reportedly, China has conducted the studies of resource reserves and acquisition possibilities in neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan.
In January 2023, a Chinese company signed a US$ 540 million deal with Afghanistan to develop an oil-and-gas field.[xii] This was the first major investment in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. The deal gives Beijing access to the Amu Darya basin in northern Afghanistan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed on “the need to accelerate transition to a green and low-carbon economy …China will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060”.[xiii] Electric Vehicles (EVs) are widely regarded as an indispensable component for China’s carbon neutrality pledge. Lithium is a vital component of batteries used in EVs. The availability and price of lithium will be crucial in China’s quest for carbon neutrality. In the first quarter of 2022, prices of lithium grew 438 percent.[xiv] Experts believe that surging prices of such critical material may even jeopardise China’s carbon neutrality ambitions. In these circumstances, China aims to get lithium from its neighboring country- Afghanistan. A Chinese company reportedly seeks to invest US$ 10 billion in Afghanistan's lithium reserves.[xv] However, experts opine that logistical constraints and security situation in Afghanistan may prevent large-scale investment from China.
Regional coordination
An assessment of China’s foreign policy behaviour in President Xi Jinping’s era suggests that China is aggressively pursuing its strategy to become a dominant power in Indo-pacific region and the world. A Chinese expert stresses that “due to the complexities of the Afghanistan issue and the growing strategic pressure on China in the Indo-pacific region, China’s role in Afghanistan will remain to be limited.”[xvi] Therefore, China is involved particularly in regional coordination through mini-laterals engagements on Afghanistan.
The position paper calls for strengthening international and regional coordination on the Afghan issue. Qin Gang, State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China participated in two mini-lateral engagements[xvii] on Afghan issue, both of which were held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 14 April 2023, and highlighted important aspects of China’s position paper on the Afghan issue. China has also blamed the US for hindering substantive improvement in the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
Restrictions on Women
Women nationals have also been barred from working with the UN office in Afghanistan. This has received widespread condemnation from the global community. It is noteworthy that the UN Security Council on April 27, 2023, unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the Taliban’s decision and stressed that it undermines human rights and humanitarian principles.[xviii]
Significantly, the Chinese position paper refers to “basic rights and interests of all Afghan people, including women”, but makes no reference to the pathetic situation of women and girls in Afghanistan as a result of the Taliban’s decision to restrict them from participating in areas of public and daily life.
India’s Engagement
India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and cultural links. Even after the takeover of Kabul by Taliban, India has provided several batches of medical and food assistance as part of India’s ongoing humanitarian assistance and has announced INR200 crores as development assistance to Afghanistan in its union budget 2022-23.[xix] India is an important stakeholder in Afghanistan which has also earned the goodwill of Afghan people.
A research done by Qian Xuemei, Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Peking University, (2018) notes: “In terms of concrete projects, India’s aid is more comprehensive and covers more widely than that of China”… Afghans valued that India had made greater contribution to Afghanistan than UN and NATO”.[xx] India is also seeking regional consensus on Afghanistan through mechanisms such as Regional Security Dialogue involving regional stakeholders, like Tajikistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and China.
Finally, it can be said that China’s position paper on the Afghan issue highlights China’s major interests and concerns. The position paper makes it evident that China will continue to engage the Afghan Taliban to safeguard its security interests. Chinese experts have acknowledged that the situation in Afghanistan is problematic as terrorist forces in Afghanistan have grown again. This has a serious implication for the region as well. The need is to have effective counter terrorism measures against terrorist groups which pose a threat to regional peace and security. In these circumstances, China’s resource diplomacy in Afghanistan may not be fruitful.
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*Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Senior Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.
Endnotes
[i]Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China,(MFPRC) “China’s Position on the Afghan Issue”, April 12, 2023. Available at https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/202304/t20230412_11057785.html(Accessed on May 1, 2023).
[ii] Three respects” means China respects (i) the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, (ii) respects the independent choices made by the Afghan people, and (iii) respects the religious beliefs and national customs of Afghanistan. “Three nevers” are as follows: China never interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, never seeks selfish interests in Afghanistan, and never pursues the so-called sphere of influence.
[iii]“Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement”, United Nations Security Council, April 7, 2011.Available at https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/entity/eastern-turkistan-islamic-movement(Accessed on April 30, 2023).
[iv] “Wang Yi Meets with Head of the Afghan Taliban Political Commission Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar” available at http://eg.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/202107/t20210729_9078115.htm (accessed on 8/5/2023)
[v] CICIR Research Group, Top 10 Global Trends in 2022, March 30, 2022.Available at http://www.cicir.ac.cn/NEW/en-us/publication.html?id=1459d7d8-9653-4341-9d1c-4560c3cfac4f(Accessed on April 30, 2023)
[vi] “Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on December 13, 2022” Available at https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202212/t20221213_10990010.html (Accessed on April 29, 2023
[vii]Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China “China’s Position on the Afghan Issue”, April 12, 2023.Available at https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/202304/t20230412_11057785.html (Accessed on May 1, 2023).
[viii]Li Li, “China’s Afghanistan Policy in a post US Era”, East Asian Policy, Vol .14, No. 1,March 2022.
[ix] Afghanistan is rich in resources like copper, gold, oil, natural gas, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron ore, rare earths, lithium, chromium, lead, zinc, gemstones, talc, sulphur, travertine, gypsum and marble.
[x]Saeed Shah. “Chinese Firm Signs $540 Million Oil-and-Gas Deal in Afghanistan”,The Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2023. Available at https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-firm-signs-540-million-oil-and-gas-deal-in-afghanistan-11672934543 (Accessed on April 29, 2023).
[xi] David Zweig and Bi Jianhai “China's Global Hunt for Energy” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 84 No 5, 2005.
[xii]Saeed Shah. “Chinese Firm Signs $540 Million Oil-and-Gas Deal in Afghanistan”, The Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2023. Available at https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-firm-signs-540-million-oil-and-gas-deal-in-afghanistan-11672934543 (Accessed on April 29, 2023).
[xiii] “Xi Jinping Attends the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and Delivers an Important Speech” Beijing, 22/09/2021, available at https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1909172.shtml(accessed on 25/4/2022)
[xiv] H. Wang et al “China’s electric vehicle and climate ambitions jeopardized by surging critical material prices” available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36957-4 ( aceesed on May 8, 2023)
[xv]“China eyes Afghanistan's lithium reserves, offers to invest USD 10 billion”, ANI, April 15, 2023. https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/china-eyes-afghanistans-lithium-reserves-offers-to-invest-usd-10-billion20230415205417/(Accessed on April 25, 2023).
[xvi]Li Li. “China’s Afghanistan Policy in a post US Era”,East Asian Policy, Vol 14 No 1(March 2022).
[xvii] The second Informal Meeting on Afghanistan between China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran, and; (b) the fourth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan was held at Samarkand on April 13, 2023.
[xviii]United Nations, “Guterres convenes meeting in Doha to discuss key issues in Afghanistan”, UN News, April 30, 2023.Available at
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1136217(Accessed on May 1, 2023).
[xix]“Budget 2022: Rs 200 cr for development assistance to Afghanistan, Rs 100 cr for Chabahar port”, The Indian Express, February 2, 2022. Available at https://indianexpress.com/article/business/budget/budget-2022-rs-200-cr-for-development-assistance-to-afghanistan-rs-100-cr-for-chabahar-port/(Accessed on May 1, 2023).
[xx]Qian Xuemei. “Comparing China’s and India’s Aid to Afghanistan”, China International Strategy Review 2017, Special Issue (Beijing: Foreign language Press 2018).