I asked the Taliban not to support the Uyghurs and the separatist movement in their region
Beijing fears that Afghan territory will be used to launch attacks on its soil
China wants to win the new leaders in Kabul in order to preserve its national security.
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Chinese counterterrorism officials have accused the Taliban of supporting the Uyghur militants.
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While China enjoyed insulting its archenemy, the United States, with Taiwan's state media warning that America would abandon its friends in Taipei, similarly;
Beijing also has deep concerns about the security risks posed by the Taliban's return to Afghanistan, and no one expects China to rush to fill the political vacuum.
For Beijing, the nightmare is the terrorist attacks plotted across that short border, between China and Afghanistan (47 miles).
And before Beijing finally turned to its tougher policies against Uyghur Muslims in the region of Xinjiang bordering Afghanistan, Chinese counterterrorism officials accused the Taliban of supporting Uyghur militants, who they said planned “thousands” of attacks at home.
China has attributed several deadly attacks in the 2000s, including one in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 2013, as well as a stabbing incident at a train station in the southern city of Kunming, to a Uyghur rebel group called the Turkistan Islamic Movement.
Beijing has particular concerns that regional instability could reignite Afghan support for fighters linked to the Turkistan Liberation Movement.
And last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, now likely to be the next Afghan president, to cut ties with the Turkistan Liberation Movement and do more.
"We hope that the Afghan Taliban will sever ties with all (terrorist organizations), including the Turkistan Liberation Movement, and fight them resolutely and effectively to remove obstacles, play a positive role, and create favorable conditions for security, stability, development and cooperation in the region," Yi said.
"We hope that (the Taliban) will build a positive image and pursue a comprehensive policy," he said at a meeting in late July.
“China has come up with practical ways to work with (the Taliban), but they still have concerns that Afghanistan is a permissive environment for Uyghur fighters, and that the victory of Uyghur fighters,” Andrew Small, a specialist on China relations with South Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a think-tank, said. (The Taliban) will have a bolder impact on militancy across the region.” He added, “Unlike the last time they (Taliban) seized power (in 1996), the Chinese now know who they are dealing with.”
Afghanistan is not a priority
While China makes headlines around the world for using its money to build big business, this has not really been a priority for Beijing in Afghanistan, where its interests have been relatively modest.
By effectively ignoring Afghanistan, Beijing has prioritized big-money infrastructure projects in Pakistan, including the Gwadar port, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative to link its exports to Western markets.
Raffaello Pantucci, a fellow of the Royal United Services Institute, stressed that security is issue No. 1, when it comes to this neighbor, explaining, “Beijing will continue to play a role, but not a progressive one, and will seek to focus on its interests, amid concerns about Uyghur militants using this country as a base against it.”
For now, the two sides exchange a friendly tone, and in fact, the Taliban has sought to reassure Beijing about its concerns about cross-border militants.
"There are people from other countries who want to use Afghanistan as a site (to launch attacks) against other countries," said Taliban spokesman Sohail Shaheen.
We made a commitment that we would not allow them to enter, whether individuals or entities, against any country, including China.”
China is also working to strengthen security cooperation with Central Asia on a larger scale, especially with Tajikistan “in order to maintain internal security in Tajikistan and prevent instability from spreading from Afghanistan to Tajikistan and then to Xinjiang,” according to a report issued by the Australian National University, in 2019. This approach includes providing equipment and facilities to enhance the security capabilities of Tajikistan, and conducting joint operations with Tajik and Afghan forces near the borders of the three countries.
Auto copying doesn't work
The Chinese foreign minister clarified his country's position on the situation in Afghanistan, saying that "the facts have proven once again that the automated copying of an imported foreign model cannot easily fit into a country with a completely different history, culture and national conditions."
Meanwhile, China's state media is providing prominent coverage of the "embarrassing" US operation, while casting doubt on President Joe Biden's ability to focus on confronting China in the wake of the Afghan fallout.
"The Americans cannot deliberately contain China and undermine the legitimate rights and interests of China, on the one hand, and expect China's support and cooperation, on the other hand," Yi said. "Such logic has no place in international relations."
Beijing Doesn't Miss An opportunity
The Chinese government rarely misses the opportunity to accuse the United States of military adventure and hegemony around the world, but in the case of Afghanistan it has changed its tone, warning that Washington now bears responsibility for the hasty end of its two-decade war there.
"The United States, which created the Afghan issue in the first place, must act responsibly to ensure a smooth transition in Afghanistan," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this month at a forum in Beijing. "It should not simply pass the burden on to others." It withdraws from the country while leaving the chaos behind unaddressed.”
While China has not called on President Biden to back down from the military withdrawal he ordered, senior officials' statements have made it clear that they will blame the United States for any insecurity that spreads in the region.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin raised their concerns about the withdrawal in a June 29 phone call, citing the increasingly complex and dangerous security situation, according to the New York Times.
While China makes headlines around the world for using its money to build big business, this has not really been a priority for Beijing in Afghanistan, where its interests have been relatively modest.
China has come up with practical ways to work with the Taliban, but they still have concerns that Afghanistan will be a permissive environment for Uyghur fighters, and that a Taliban victory will have a bolder impact on militancy across the region.
• Beijing has particular concerns that regional instability could reignite Afghan support for fighters associated with the Turkistan Liberation Movement.
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