[South China Morning Post] Beijing may consider
| ...goodness, that’s decisive... |
sending a peacekeeping force to Afghanistan if the security situation in the South Asian country poses a threat to the neighbouring Chinese province of Xinjiang after American troops pull out, analysts said.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he would withdraw all remaining US troops — about 2,500 — from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack in New York.
The withdrawal may pose a threat to Afghanistan’s security and stability, which could spill over into Xinjiang and disrupt China’s counterterrorism efforts.
In 2018, China trained Afghan troops and helped set up a mountain brigade. The training took place in China and the aim of the brigade was to counter possible attacks by al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
"The security forces of the Afghan government are not capable of ensuring Afghan security," said Sun Qi, an international relations specialist at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
"The situation in Afghanistan might go further into chaos in the future. Cross-border crime, drug trafficking and smuggling of firearms may proliferate," he said.
|