h/t Gates of Vienna
...Yet, while US policy-makers are trying desperately to stabilize Afghanistan, a shift is being orchestrated by China, which stands to gain from what Afghani author Mushtaq Rahim recently referred to as Beijing's "economic development agenda."
China, he writes, "has been looking at Afghan affairs with a 'wait and see' approach and has gone into hibernation most of the time in debates regarding future of Afghanistan.
"While one can argue that the size and extent of the Chinese economy may not need Afghanistan for its growth and expansion agenda...A fractured or failed Afghanistan will pose significant security threats for China... challenging a major part of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) i.e. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)... |