For decades, Afghanistan has been fighting against extremist and terrorists forces and many believe all it began when the former Soviet Union invaded the country.

After the Mujahideen.  Iran has also been aiding the Taliban because Tehran wants to counter a more lethal outfit Daesh in Afghanistan.

However, there is another neighbor of Afghanistan, China, which has never interfered in the country’s internal affairs. China has never tried to take sides in the Afghan conflict.

Afghanistan and China enjoy centuries-old cultural, economical and political relations and their ties have further strengthened in recent past in various spheres.

After the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001 in a US led invasion of Afghanistan, China has since been taking part in the country’s rebuilding. China’s investment in Afghanistan’s mineral wealth has reached a considerable level.

China has also played a major role in the development of the Mess Ainak copper mine in central Logar province and oil and gas deposits at the Amu River basin in northern Afghanistan.

China has lately increased its cooperation with the Afghan government in training and equipping the Afghan national security and defense forces.

National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar, who recently visited China, urged the Chinese government to help Kabul build a mountain brigade in Pamir area of northern Badakhshan province between the two countries.

Twenty-one terrorist groups are operating in Afghanistan and the enemies of the two countries would want to transfer terrorists to China to create chaos there, thus necessitating formation of a mountain brigade.

On peace front, China played a proactive role as part of the four-national talks also involving the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan. There were also trilateral meetings among representatives from China, Pakistan and Afghanistan to improve ties between the two neighbors.

The relations between China and Afghanistan further improved after the unity government came into power in Kabul in 2014 and Ghani first visited China as president.

Then CEO Abdullah visited China and held talks with Chinese leaders about relations between the two countries.

In 2013, China’s leader Xi Jinping became president, completing the formal transition of power to a new generation in the world’s second-largest economy.

Xi has initiated various ambitious regional projects including the revival of the ancient Silk road that also passes through Afghanistan.

The Silk road that starts from China goes through central Asia, Iran and reaches Europe. The road would once again turn Afghanistan into the roundabout of Asia and it would bring along infrastructure development projects like roads, railway lines, economic zones and other trade facilities.

In addition, cultural and people to people contacts between the two countries have recently increased. Every year, Afghan journalists, culturists, university teahers and civil society activists go to China to learn from Chinese.

The Afghans hope China by using its influence would continue supporting peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

 

View expressed in this article are of the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok’s editorial policy.

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