China will remain Taliban's 'most important partner'

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https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEM ... id=US%3Aen

I have a feeling (no, I'm expecting) that China will suffer the same humiliation for trying to muscle in on Afghanistan that we Yanks just did. Along with Russia, Great Britain, and every other nation that tried to conquer this 'graveyard of empires'.

Also I'm wondering how a militia as unstable as the Taliban will react when they finally realize that any 'aid' China provides to countries always comes with strings attached?

I guess we'll have to wait years from now to find out.


I mean after all we're talking about an Islamic extremist group vs a government that's committing genocide against Uigher Muslims in their own country. So this outta be interesting.

Oh yeah...

Indeed that was one of the first "strings" to come out in the news. The Chinese told the Taliban that "the two of us can start a beautiful friendship as long you dont aid the Uigher separatists in our country". Not an actual quote, but thats the idea.

China and Pakistan are long time friends (and common enemies of India).

So it will be interesting to see the chessboard with new pieces. The US gone. China and Pakistan will be co rulers of Afghanistan in the US's place.

China will probably start putting in infrastructure -rail and road links through Afghanistan to help build up its modern version of the ancient silk route trade routes across Eurasia. Which helps any regime running Afganistan- by improving the country and ending isolation. But also makes any regime there beholdened to China. China is salivating as we speak to get at Afgnstn's mineral wealth- metals, and especially rare earth elements (vital to modern electronics). Also Afn, being then in the joint spheres of influence of both Pakistan and China - will put India into fear mode. But as you said the Taliban will have problems ruling the country now that the common US enemy is gone. And some factions might seek to help the Uighurs in China.

If we are lucky...maybe a terrorist group will use Afghanistan as a base again- to fly jet airliners into tall buildings...but not ones in NYC, but in Shanghai or Beijing!

Remember, China and Afghanistan do share a border, short as it may be.

They also share a border with another country that hates Americans.

China make friends with countries they are ideologically opposite off because "an enemy of my enemy is my friend"

Britain, Russia and the US failed because they directly intervened in Afghanistan. China will do deals with the Taliban that are favourable to both them and to the Talis. But no troops. China operates a friendly relations with Burmese military and the Thai military and helps them run their heroin business in the golden triangle. With the Taliban's help China will help take revenge on Europe (for selling opium to the Chinese) by cornering the heroin market and selling it back.

OK so I don't care about much of the detail being discussed. To me it points to a more important but cynical conclusion.

In the West we are constantly urged to take a more aggressive stance against China, because they are violating the human rights of non-Chinese living in Xinjiang, most of whom are Muslim. Never mind Tibet (but that's an old story now). We are urged to boycott China, in particular the Winter Olympics, and begin a massive build-up of the sort of "conventional" military might that we have largely neglected over the last 3 decades of fighting wars in which the weapon of choice is a drone aircraft. In fact, to declare a new Cold War against China.

My feeling is that if the Taliban don't give a toss about their co-religionists in Xinjiang (or Myanmar or Thailand or wherever) then why should the West (and I mean the US in particular, as it's clear that Australians in particular believe the US is not "doing its duty" by confronting China more aggressively). Beggar itself with massive military spending, financed with huge increases in national debt(s)? Not to mention the huge emotional burden of dealing with another major war?

China's human rights transgressions are loathsome but they're a problem for the World Community to address, not the responsibility of the US and some other Western "democracies". If the devout Taliban don't care about this then I don't see why the US has to GAF.

The way to remain strong against China is to remain economically and societally robust and politically open. A cold war would not in any way contribute to that goal.

I regret making this topic.