What connects the yellow dragon with the “fierce mullahs” in Afghanistan?
Author: Abdul Naser Noorzad, security and geopolitics researcher, especially for “Sangar”
After the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, China has had an increasing presence in this country. The evidence shows that China and the Taliban, understanding mutual interests, are moving in sync with this presence. These interests are in a smooth path in political, security and mainly economic directions. By trying to have a wide influence in the geopolitical space of the region, especially the geography of Afghanistan, the Chinese have put close relations and intelligence, political and economic cooperation with the Taliban on the agenda.
Examples of these words are the efforts of the Chinese to defend the liberation of Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves, the recognition of the Taliban group, the transfer of the Afghan embassy in Beijing to "furious mullahs" and the sending of a new ambassador to Kabul, the investment of 320 million dollars in mineral resources such as the Amu Darya area, the exploration of the North, Mes Ainak and other projects that can benefit China's economic diplomacy from an economic point of view and be useful in strengthening the Taliban regime.
China's romantic pact with the Taliban, who are both functionally and intellectually very different, is strange and rare. Communist and atheist China has nothing in common with a group that is apparently moving towards religious and ideological goals. While the Taliban consider it their duty to defend the rights of other Muslims around the world, they are indifferent and even disinterested in China's oppression of the Uyghur people, Indian-administered Kashmir and the Muslims of Myanmar.
By understanding the Taliban's constraints, China is trying to have a firm foothold for the future of its presence in Afghanistan. This presence coincides with the hot competition between this country and the US in the Euro-Asia region, which, according to the majority of experts, also includes Afghanistan. For this purpose, in addition to security and political calculations, China also has economic calculations from Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. These conclusions have led to the fact that after the empowerment of the Taliban, Afghanistan is again included in the One Belt One Road project, and the self-interested view of the Chinese is related to the fields of trade, economic prosperity and profit from economic planning. In this country, it will increase.
In the political field of Afghanistan and the region, the Chinese have turned from a passive diplomacy and passive policy to an aggressive, innovative and bold policy. This action of the Chinese shows that China is monitoring Afghanistan in the first step for its presence and expanding its influence. Afghanistan, which is under the control of a fascist and hegemonic ethnic group, is dealing with repression and widespread violations of human rights and has no respect for the conventional principles of the modern human world. Since the Chinese are not bound by any values and only seek their own interests, they have preferentially and hastily come to terms with this group and do not care about the situation in Afghanistan under the control of ethnic terrorism. Because, China is participating more in regional and international events and the internal conditions of this country are not very important to it.
Therefore, Afghanistan is now more important to China than ever. Considering that China considers a peaceful Afghanistan essential for regional stability, it has become the focus of Beijing's foreign policy. The belief that China, as a strong power, is responsible for maintaining peace and security in the region is another factor that affects China's actions in Afghanistan. The Chinese are trying to de-Americanize the region in the first step without considering the characteristics and nature of the Taliban. In this country's calculations, the first step for this task is to strengthen and cooperate closely with the Taliban so that America does not have an excuse to be present in the region again.
For this purpose, after the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, China was the first foreign country to commit to emergency humanitarian aid worth 31 million dollars to Afghanistan. Also, China donated three million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine during the Corona epidemic.
With all these efforts, the question arises here that what is China's goal in closing up with the Taliban?
First, China can better deal with closed political and authoritarian systems. The Taliban regime is a good example of this claim. As this country has come to terms with North Korea, Myanmar and other countries that are governed in a closed political system and in the form of a dictatorship, it has close cooperation with them. Rather than being a value-oriented pole, Communist China is self-interested, exploitative, and extremely conservative. Therefore, after the withdrawal of the US, China saw the situation as favorable and tries to cope with the ethnic hegemony of the Taliban and to control this country after the presence of the US due to its economic, political and security interests;
Second - China's economic interests from understanding Afghanistan's markets, mines and underground resources, the facilitating role of this country in the implementation of China's economic plans at the regional level, security interests, the influence and expansion of the area of application of the Taliban development policies of that country, will make China more It makes the Taliban interested in advance. Considering that China should prioritize strengthening its economic relations with Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, China considers Afghanistan as the first step in this direction. Considering the unique topography of Afghanistan, which mainly consists of mountains, regions and valleys, China or any powerful country cannot achieve geostrategic interests with the classical approach that believes in using military power and occupation to achieve goals. Therefore, China prepares its geostrategic goals using the geo-economic approach. This Chinese approach has been very efficient and effective;
Third - In order to play an active role in the field of diplomacy and regional politics, China needs a safe environment and an environment free from the mischief of its rivals. This role cannot be implemented without taking into account the regional threats to the country's interests. According to reports, national security and dealing with the threats it faces is the first step for the Chinese. By any means, the Chinese want to make Afghanistan free from the environment and factors that could possibly be used against the country's security interests by its rivals;
Fourth - The Chinese are trying to prepare a hegemonic chain model with ideological threats at the regional level by using economic tactics. For this purpose, Afghanistan will be the first step as the first experimental measure. Because this country is in a political uncertainty after the withdrawal of America and the fall of the republican system and lacks a legitimate system that can be considered an active member of the international community. In this sense, the opportunity for the Chinese is considered golden and unique to its time. This economic hegemonic ring, which has a strong connection with the components of economic pragmatism, can greatly help to expand and strengthen China's position as a hegemonic power;
Fifth - The Chinese never ignore Pakistan's advice regarding Afghanistan. These advices given by the Pakistanis to the Chinese are for the common interests of both countries in Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. Pakistan wants to provide this country's assistance to consolidate the Taliban regime, expand its influence and create a win-win environment in the field of this country through China's investments.
Afghanistan's geographical and geopolitical role and importance, along with its neighborhood with China, has an important element in China's future plans in this geography. This role is not only limited to Afghanistan, but it can be considered as the first step towards this ambitious strategy of China. The yellow dragon has entered the field with accurate calculations. Huge investments, cultural influence, trying to create ideological circles through economic tactics, trying to de-Americanize, protecting China's long-term interests in Afghanistan and the region, using Afghanistan's natural and underground resources, marketing For Chinese products in Afghanistan's markets, it is considered among the long-term and medium-term goals of this country in cooperation with the Taliban and trying to be present in Afghanistan.
