“Belt and Road” .. How did America put the fate of the most important Chinese project at the mercy of the Taliban?

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan and the Taliban's control of the capital, Kabul - suddenly and quickly - raised speculation about Washington's desire to thwart China's partnership with many neighboring countries and sabotage the "Belt and Road" initiative in all its branches.

Two important cities in Afghanistan lie on the initiative route that was formerly called the “Silk Road”, Kabul (which is called the Jewel of the East) and Nangarhar (where the archaeological site of Haddah is the cradle of Buddhist civilization).

raging fight

It became clear that the security and economic stability in Afghanistan is the most prominent link in the battle between the two largest economies in the world.

The United States of America and China.

According to experts, the Chinese initiative poses a major challenge to the economic and political interests of the United States and the climate change file, especially if the project is formed in a sustainable and responsible manner.

The United States' attempts to control the heart of Central Asia did not stop in the context of its war with China;

With the aim of thwarting the Belt and Road Initiative, which Beijing has dreamed of achieving for hundreds of years.

Washington's strategy in this context relies on supporting the Uyghur separatists in the western region of Xinjiang in order to divide it under the name of "East Turkistan".

On the other hand, Washington continues to support the independence of the province of "Balochistan" in southwest Pakistan, which complicates or ends Chinese interests in the region.

The port of Gwadar in Balochistan is an important checkpoint along China's Belt and Road Initiative and serves as the final destination of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and allows China to ship energy and goods from China to the Arabian Sea, bypassing Southeast Asia for shipping to and from the Middle East, Africa and beyond.

The United States is counting on the support it has been providing to the people of Balochistan since 2012 and supporting their right to self-determination between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan..a pivotal country in the project

Afghanistan is an important country in China's initiative;

It is the shortest route between Central and South Asia, and between China and the Middle East.

The natural resources in Afghanistan are of great importance, especially in the recent period.

It owns lithium and copper, which are used in the infrastructure of electric cars.

Afghanistan also possesses gold, iron ore and precious stones, which also makes it a strategic region for all nations.

In recent years, China's economic influence in Afghanistan began to rise significantly. In 2016, Beijing and Kabul signed a memorandum of understanding, in which Beijing pledged to finance the country with at least $100 million.

In September 2016, a direct freight train was launched from China to the Afghan border town of Heratan, and an air corridor was established linking Kabul and the Chinese city of Urumqi.

Highlights of the project information

The project is officially known as the "Belt and Road", a Chinese initiative built on the ruins of the ancient Silk Road, and aims to connect China with the world by investing billions of dollars in infrastructure along the Silk Road that connects it to the European continent, to be the largest infrastructure project in human history.

The history of the ancient Silk Road dates back to the second century BC, and the name refers to the network of land and sea routes that linked China and Europe through the Middle East, with a length of more than 10,000 km.

China's attempts to revive the Silk Road began in the early 1990s, through what was known as the Eurasian Land Bridge that connects China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, and reaches Germany via railways.

Through the new route, China wants to speed up the access of its products to global markets, including Asia, Europe, Africa, and South and Central America.

- September 7, 2013: The Belt and Road Initiative was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The global project includes building ports, roads, railways and industrial zones, and includes 140 countries so far.

April 26, 2019: Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the "New Silk Roads" summit, which lasted for two days, with the participation of representatives from 150 countries. Through the summit, China aimed to promote the initiative that will make it a focus of global economic relations.

The project covers 66 countries in 3 continents, namely Asia, Europe and Africa, and is divided into 3 levels, including pivotal regions, expansion areas and sub-regions.

The project includes two main branches;

The land "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the sea "Maritime Silk Road".

The Maritime Silk Road extends from the Chinese coast through Singapore and India towards the Mediterranean. The land branch of the initiative includes 6 corridors:

1- The new Eurasian land bridge that runs from western China to western Russia.

2- The "China - Mongolia - Russia" corridor, which extends from northern China to the Russian east.

3- The "China - Central Asia - Western Asia" corridor, which extends from western China to Turkey.

4- The "China - Indochina Peninsula" corridor, which extends from southern China to Singapore.

5- The "China-Pakistan" corridor, which extends from southwest China to Pakistan.

6- The "Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar" corridor, which extends from southern China to India.

Since the Chinese president launched the project, his country has invested 80 billion euros in multiple projects, and banks have provided loans worth between 175 and 265 billion euros.

Russia and Pakistan are the most prominent countries supporting the project, which was evident from the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in this summit, along with 35 presidents and prime ministers from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The project also supports Britain, Turkey and small countries such as Greece, whose foreign minister considered it to be the pinnacle of economic openness at a time when many countries of the world resort to economic and political isolation.

Amid the growing influence of China and Western doubts about its intentions, Europeans and Americans are increasingly concerned about the project, and this was evident in the limited participation of these countries in the April 2019 summit to ministers, while Washington did not send anyone.

The only European exception was Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, whose country joined the Chinese initiative in March 2019, to be the first G7 country to take this step.

So far, 126 countries and 29 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with Beijing within the framework of the project, but these agreements do not provide for unconditional support for the Chinese project, but some of them suggest cooperation in a third country or in the field of investment.

A railway line connects China with Europe, linking 62 Chinese cities with 51 European cities spread over 15 countries.

Those trains have made 14,691 trips since their launch in 2011. The China Railways are scheduled to link Laos and Thailand.

The total value of goods exchanged in both directions exceeded 30 billion euros in 2018.

In Kenya, a railway called the “Silk Roads” connects the capital, Nairobi, to the city of Mombasa, which contains the most prominent port in the country overlooking the Indian Ocean.

In Uganda, a modern 50-kilometre road to the international airport has been paved with Chinese money, and China has undertaken to transform a small coastal city in Tanzania into a port that could become the largest port on the African continent.

In Pakistan, a series of infrastructure projects were built, including roads, railways, and power production points, to link the country’s southern coast to the Chinese city of Kashgar (northwest). On the Pakistani port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan seeks through the project to enhance its national growth, while China aims to secure a faster and safer route through this sea route for its oil imports from the Middle East.

- The New York Times says that China's industrial surplus production is one of the most important motives behind the initiative.

For example, China produces about 1.1 billion tons of steel annually, but internally consumes only 800 million tons.

The majority of seaborne trade between China and Europe passes through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but this trade route exposes China’s imports of energy and commodities to disruptions and disruptions caused by piracy, regional tensions and conflicts, and as a result, China is primarily interested in securing these trade routes along with research For other alternative ways to avoid marine choke points.

- China improved its relations with Middle Eastern countries after implementing the Belt and Road Initiative project, becoming a major import and export partner for countries in the region.

Beijing has established a fund to finance projects based on the initiative, which it called the "Silk Road Fund". As for the expected value of the initiative's projects, some estimate it at about one trillion dollars, and others estimate it at 8 trillion dollars. Partners and projects to be adopted.

– Critics of the project believe that it is working to strengthen the positions and influence of companies based mainly in China, while at the same time setting up “debt traps” for countries that benefit from loans granted by Chinese banks, but China confirms that the initiative includes a group of projects that serve the environment and are financially viable without corruption. .