China's Strategic View to Afghanistan After the US Withdrawal

The relations between China and Afghanistan have been regulated in the past decades based on Beijing's view of regional and international developments. The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan and the establishment of the Islamic Emirate government in Afghanistan changed China's approach towards Afghanistan from various perspectives. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan changed the balance of power in Afghanistan and, consequently, its surrounding areas. China's view to Afghanistan has always been based on security considerations, and currently economic considerations are also prominent in it. China's grand economic plan in Pakistan and Central Asia on the one hand and China's security concerns about the connection between extremist groups in Afghanistan and the Uyghurs in the neighboring country have been the most important issues of China's attention. The rise of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of US forces have caused a change in the pattern of relations from calculated indifference to China's strategic view of Afghanistan. In the present study, we have discussed and examined why China's view to Afghanistan has changed from calculated indifference to strategic view.