ABSTRACT
After 9/11, China’s relation with Afghanistan has been enhanced. China is pursuing the goal of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan without aligning itself with the United States. Beijing is positioning itself to work with whoever controls Kabul. China and Afghanistan are developing their relation on two important aspects: bilateral and regional levels. It is mainly based on economic and security aspects. China enjoys a more positive relationship with Afghanistan, making its investments less likely to be targeted by insurgents. Especially, the presence of China is felt more in Afghanistan after NATO handed over the responsibility for internal security in 2014 to Afghan government forces.
However, the absence of sufficient international support for stabilising internal security in Afghanistan and prevailing destabilised situation in Afghanistan have raised serious concerns in countries in the region. In that sense, China’s involvement appears to facilitate stability and economic revival. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s natural resources and geopolitical position also appear important for China to expand its BRI project in Asia. Afghanistan is a gate to Central Asia, which is important for the connectivity of China’s projects. Hence, China is trying not only to strengthen its interest in Afghanistan since a stable and terror-free Afghanistan would play an important role in the economic interests of China in infrastructure projects and energy corridors.
