China's accomodative stance towards the Taliban is driven by a fear of the fundamentalist group, according to a recent report by the Afghan Diaspora Network which states Beijing's recent promises of investment and trade in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are intended at preventing a possible spillover of militants into China's Xinjiang region.  

Afghanistan’s turmoil-ridden past has seen the Taliban rule the country from 1996 to 2001 during which the extremist group had harboured various foreign terror elements including Uyghur militants. This connection between the Taliban with the Uyghurs has seemingly prompted the direction of China’s diplomatic engagement in Afghanistan.  

China is among the few countries that kept their embassies operational even after the United States and NATO pulled out from Afghanistan and the Taliban toppled the government and took over in August 2021.  

Does China fear retaliation for the Uyghur genocide?

A 2021 report says Uyghur militants of the Turkistan Islamic Party were involved in conflicts in both Syria and Afghanistan. The Turkistan Islamic Party is an alias for the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an extremist Uyghur organisation which calls for the establishment of an Uyghur state in China's Xinjiang. 

China fears a possible influx of militants from Afghanistan under Taliban’s rule. Chinese diplomats have reiterated to the Taliban regime since the latter’s takeover of Afghanistan pressing for "resolute" measures against "all terrorist forces, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement" (ETIM).

Unlike the US, which removed the ETIM from its list of terror organisations in 2020, China continues to designate it as one, the Afghan Diaspora Network report said.

Image: AP

Further, the attack on Kabul’s hotel on December 12, 2022, a site frequented by Chinese nationals, further raised Beijing’s concerns and prompted the Chinese government’s response in the form of an advisory to its citizens in Afghanistan, urging them "to leave and evacuate the country as soon as possible."  

Following the attack, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Beijing was "deeply shocked" by the development and demanded the Taliban regime to search and rescue 

China’s ‘hollow promises’?

In contrast to China’s concerns regarding the possibility of a spillover of militancy from Afghanistan, the Taliban regime is "frustrated" by the hollow promises made by China in terms of economy and development. Despite being a signatory to a 2016 BRI agreement with the former Afghan administration, China has not come through with its promise of extending a fund of $100 million in projects. So far, no BRI projects have been undertaken with China’s help in Afghanistan.

Image: AP

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in July 2022 that Beijing “hopes to push the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of Afghanistan,” in addition to supporting the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan “and share China's development opportunities,” the report stated. However, despite China’s talk of big investments, there has been no delivery on the ground, the Afghan Diaspora Network stated.