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Premier Li Keqiang makes a point to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as attending ministers pose for a group photo at the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Conference. Photo: AP

China signals interest in playing bigger role in Afghanistan

As Western troops prepare to pull out of war-ravaged country, Premier Li Keqiang urges various political factions to help build better future

Beijing yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to helping war-torn Afghanistan end decades of bloodshed, and called on the country's political factions to set aside their differences.

Premier Li Keqiang issued the call at the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Conference, a regional gathering to discuss Afghanistan's future.

Hosting the conference for the first time, Beijing signalled its interest in playing a bigger role in the nation ahead of the withdrawal of most Western troops.

Their departure has triggered fears that unrest in the neighbour could spill over the border into the restive region of Xinjiang , and put China's investments in Afghanistan at risk.

Countries taking part in the conference endorsed support for 64 economic, infrastructure and education projects to help rebuild Afghanistan.

Convening the conference, Li said peace and stability in Afghanistan had a direct bearing on China. "The various political factions in Afghanistan should set aside their grievances and take part in the political reconciliation process in the interests of national peace and development," Li said.

The international community should also step in but only on the "basis of mutual respect".

Foreign Minister Wang Yi vowed that China would give its "firm support" to the reconciliation process but did not offer concrete details.

"We believe that political reconciliation is an important basis for the reconstruction of Afghanistan," he said.

Wang said all factions, including the Taliban, should seize the opportunity to pull together following the inauguration of Ashraf Ghani as Afghanistan's president in September.

On his first overseas trip since taking office, Ghani yesterday invited the Taliban to join in the peace process, making an unusual direct reference to an insurgents who have stepped up attacks to bring down his government.

"Peace is our highest priority. We invite the political opposition, particularly the Taliban, to join and enter Afghan dialogue, and ask our international partners to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process," he said. Ghani said Afghanistan could no longer be used as a "battleground" by foreign forces.

China pledged 1.5 billion yuan (HK$1.9 billion) in aid to Afghanistan over three years after talks on Tuesday between President Xi Jinping and Ghani.

China has expanded its presence in Afghanistan in recent years but has been quick to say it does not want to replace Western troops in Afghanistan, most of which will pull out by December.

Analysts said Beijing was all too aware that a heavy-handed approach would backfire, as it had for the United States since 2001 and for the former Soviet Union, which fought a war there from 1979 to 1989.

China has expressed concerns that Islamic militants are using Afghanistan as a base to plot attacks in Xinjiang, which has been hit by a series of bloody incidents that Beijing blames on separatists.

A Chinese-backed US$3.5 billion copper mine project in Aynak has been attacked several times over the past year.

"The withdrawal of [US and Nato] troops has given Beijing an opportunity to exert more influence," Peking University international relations professor Wang Lian said. "But Beijing is unlikely to send in armed forces, to avoid paying a heavy price as the US and the former Soviet Union paid before."

 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Beijing signals interest in playing bigger Afghan role
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