China's economic interests driving its engagement with Kabul, former peace negotiator tells WION

China's appointment of Ambassador Zhao Sheng to Afghanistan has sent ripples through the global diplomatic arena. After the Taliban's resurgence following the withdrawal of US forces, China became the first country to officially appoint a new ambassador to Kabul. 

Ahmad Nader Nadery, a Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center, and Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institute of Stanford, and one of Afghanistan's former peace negotiators in Doha talks, spoke to WION about China's motivations and strategic interests in Afghanistan.

China's economic ambitions 

Nadery underscored the economic interests driving China's engagement with Afghanistan. 

"For long, China had its eyes on Afghanistan’s natural resources. Especially of rare earth minerals, iron, and copper. It encouraged its private sector to seek concessions from the Taliban on medium and large-size mines. While Afghanistan was not initially an essential part of the Belt and Road Initiative, it has become an essential part of the focus for mining purposes."

Uyghur security concerns 

Nadery also spoke to WION about China's security concerns, in regards to anti-China Uyghur groups. China wants Afghanistan to stop these Uyghur groups from causing trouble as it believes that since these groups want to free Xinjiang, they can cause instability for Beijing in the region. 

While China previously cooperated with the Afghan Republic on security matters, the Taliban's reluctance to engage to the same extent has prompted China to recalibrate its approach, Nadery pointed out. 

Also Read | How China’s ‘smokescreen’ tricks the world against reforms at UN Security Council

"Uyghur militant groups have been a key topic of China’s interaction with the Afghan government in the past two decades. There has been security cooperation with the Afghan Republic on the violent actors including Uyghurs, but the Taliban seems to be unwilling to cooperate with China to the extent they want. In my view, China pursues strategic interests in Afghanistan and believes it can achieve it through the Taliban. First is access to vast natural resources and second is security in relation to Uyghurs." 

Geopolitical rivalry 

Nadery also placed China's actions in the broader context of escalating US-China rivalry. 

Afghanistan's rare earth resources have become yet another battleground in the global competition between these superpowers. While engaging with the Taliban, China remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding its strategic interests. 

"A third element has emerged in the past two years and that is the US-China escalating rivalry," he added. 

So, engaging with Taliban wrong or right? 

Nadery also provides a valuable perspective on China's calculated moves in Afghanistan and their implications for the region and the world at large.

"The last two years show that engagement with the Taliban would not change their behaviour. It gives them more reason to remain unchanged and uncommitted to the demands of the international community. While having an ambassador-level head of mission in Kabul and not officially recognising the Taliban, China indicated that it’s there only to protect its strategic interests in the areas I have mentioned," he said.

A milestone for China? 

While some might perceive Ambassador Zhao Sheng's appointment as a diplomatic milestone, Nadery reminds that it is part of China's ongoing diplomatic engagement, not an outright recognition of the Taliban regime.

"In my view, it’s not an elevation of diplomatic relations between China and the Taliban. China’s ambassador, like Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, continued their diplomatic presence with their ambassadors stationed in Kabul. However, with the ambassador’s term ending, this was the first to present the credentials to the Taliban's de facto prime minister."