Opinion
CommentaryThe Taliban government of Afghanistan is expanding its trade and cooperation with Russia and China, but a true alliance is unlikely.Earlier this month, Kabul and Beijing signed a $540 million dollar deal to develop Afghanistan’s oil and gas fields. This is the biggest deal the Taliban has signed since taking control of the country in August 2021. Immediately after the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, the economy collapsed. As the regime has not been recognized by any Western government and is designated as a global terrorist, Kabul has been placed under sanctions restricting flows of cash into the country. Washington has also frozen Afghanistan’s foreign currency reservesof around $7 billion held in the United States. The United States is placing them in a trust and will release the funds when there is a stable and internationally recognized government in Kabul.Since August 2021, Afghanistan’s economy has experienced a decline of about 20 percent to 30 percent. Now, 97 percent of the population live below the poverty line, while 95 percent said that they had experienced hunger in the past year. The country has become completely dependent on foreign aid. The United States is the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, but the U.S. Treasury Department has set strict rules on the provision of aid to ensure that it gets to the people rather than to the regime.Many international aid organizations are reviewing their support for Afghanistan because the Taliban has tightened the restrictions on women’s participation in public life. Girls have been banned from education, and women have been barred from working in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The World Health Organizationreleased a statement on Dec. 28, 2022,stating that if women are not permitted to participate in NGO work, then certain aid programs would have to be halted.Afghanistan’s mineral reserves, including rare earth minerals, are estimated at $1 trillion. Sanctions are preventing Western countries from investing in extraction projects, which has opened the door for Chinese investment. Currently, a state-owned mining company is in negotiations with the Taliban about extracting copper. However, there are still major security issues. While the Taliban control most of the country, the ISIS terrorist groupis still actively opposing Taliban rule and Chinese presence. In December, ISIS bombed a Chinese-owned hotel in Kabul.In addition to the threat of ISIS attacks, another wrinkle in the Taliban-Beijing dynamic is Afghanistan’s harboring of the Turkistan Islamic Party, formerly known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist organization opposing repression in China’s Xinjiang region.Beijing’s engagement with the Taliban is also compromising its relationship with Islamabad. Pakistan has been plagued by terrorist attacks carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistan Taliban, which is closely aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The TTP’s stated objective is to defeat the Pakistan army and establish itself as the ruler of the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Islamabad worries that money flowing from Beijing to Kabul will ultimately support terrorist attacks in Pakistan.The Pakistan military has been clamoring to engage in preemptive strikes by attacking the TTP cadre inside of Afghanistan. The Taliban, while claiming neutrality in the dispute, has made it very clear that it would not tolerate a breach of its national borders by the Pakistan army.The Taliban has managed to sign trade deals with a number of countries, including Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran while China, Russia, and Iran have all expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan. Russia, like China and Iran, does not officially recognize the Taliban government, although its leaders have been guests at the Kremlin.The Taliban’s best hope for recognition was China, but the Taliban was excluded from attending theShanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September last year. Both Russia and China are open to investment and trade relations with Afghanistan, but they’re wary of terrorists posing as refugees and trying to enter their respective countries. These concerns were underscored in September when a suicide bomber attacked the Russian Embassy in Kabul.ISIS, who has called Russia a “crusader government” and “enemy of Islam,” later took responsibility for the attack. A few weeks later, Kabul signed an agreement to import Russian gasoline, diesel, and gas. The ongoing sales of energy and resources to Afghanistan are allowing Russia to bypass sanctions and continue to fund its war in Ukraine.There appears to be growing cooperation between states outside of the U.S.-led Western order, namely Iran, Russia, China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. While they share a common distrust or even hatred of the United States, their fundamental interests are not clearly aligned. The tensi
Udumbara
Feb 3, 2023-05:34Updated:Feb 3, 2023-05:37
Commentary
The Taliban government of Afghanistan is expanding its trade and cooperation with Russia and China, but a true alliance is unlikely.
Earlier this month, Kabul and Beijing signed a $540 million dollar deal to develop Afghanistan’s oil and gas fields. This is the biggest deal the Taliban has signed since taking control of the country in August 2021. Immediately after the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, the economy collapsed. As the regime has not been recognized by any Western government and is designated as a global terrorist, Kabul has been placed under sanctions restricting flows of cash into the country. Washington has also frozen Afghanistan’s foreign currency reservesof around $7 billion held in the United States. The United States is placing them in a trust and will release the funds when there is a stable and internationally recognized government in Kabul.
Since August 2021, Afghanistan’s economy has experienced a decline of about 20 percent to 30 percent. Now, 97 percent of the population live below the poverty line, while 95 percent said that they had experienced hunger in the past year. The country has become completely dependent on foreign aid. The United States is the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, but the U.S. Treasury Department has set strict rules on the provision of aid to ensure that it gets to the people rather than to the regime.
Many international aid organizations are reviewing their support for Afghanistan because the Taliban has tightened the restrictions on women’s participation in public life. Girls have been banned from education, and women have been barred from working in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The World Health Organizationreleased a statement on Dec. 28, 2022,stating that if women are not permitted to participate in NGO work, then certain aid programs would have to be halted.
Afghanistan’s mineral reserves, including rare earth minerals, are estimated at $1 trillion. Sanctions are preventing Western countries from investing in extraction projects, which has opened the door for Chinese investment. Currently, a state-owned mining company is in negotiations with the Taliban about extracting copper. However, there are still major security issues. While the Taliban control most of the country, the ISIS terrorist groupis still actively opposing Taliban rule and Chinese presence. In December, ISIS bombed a Chinese-owned hotel in Kabul.
In addition to the threat of ISIS attacks, another wrinkle in the Taliban-Beijing dynamic is Afghanistan’s harboring of the Turkistan Islamic Party, formerly known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist organization opposing repression in China’s Xinjiang region.
Beijing’s engagement with the Taliban is also compromising its relationship with Islamabad. Pakistan has been plagued by terrorist attacks carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistan Taliban, which is closely aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The TTP’s stated objective is to defeat the Pakistan army and establish itself as the ruler of the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Islamabad worries that money flowing from Beijing to Kabul will ultimately support terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
The Pakistan military has been clamoring to engage in preemptive strikes by attacking the TTP cadre inside of Afghanistan. The Taliban, while claiming neutrality in the dispute, has made it very clear that it would not tolerate a breach of its national borders by the Pakistan army.
The Taliban has managed to sign trade deals with a number of countries, including Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran while China, Russia, and Iran have all expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan. Russia, like China and Iran, does not officially recognize the Taliban government, although its leaders have been guests at the Kremlin.
The Taliban’s best hope for recognition was China, but the Taliban was excluded from attending theShanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September last year. Both Russia and China are open to investment and trade relations with Afghanistan, but they’re wary of terrorists posing as refugees and trying to enter their respective countries. These concerns were underscored in September when a suicide bomber attacked the Russian Embassy in Kabul.
ISIS, who has called Russia a “crusader government” and “enemy of Islam,” later took responsibility for the attack. A few weeks later, Kabul signed an agreement to import Russian gasoline, diesel, and gas. The ongoing sales of energy and resources to Afghanistan are allowing Russia to bypass sanctions and continue to fund its war in Ukraine.
There appears to be growing cooperation between states outside of the U.S.-led Western order, namely Iran, Russia, China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. While they share a common distrust or even hatred of the United States, their fundamental interests are not clearly aligned. The tension and dispute among them are also preventing them from forming a real alliance. For the time being, it looks like Beijing may throw a lifeline to Afghanistan, and Kabul will help Russia keep afloat by buying its oil, but the formation of a politically and economically meaningful bloc seems unlikely.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
FAQs
Are Russia and Afghanistan friends? ›
Following the Second World War, the Kingdom of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union formed a friendly relationship, and the latter provided much aid and development to Afghanistan. Following the Saur Revolution, the two countries signed a friendship treaty in 1978.
Does China support Russian invasion? ›The Chinese government refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, repeated Russian propaganda and disinformation about the war, opposed economic sanctions against Russia, and abstained or sided with Russia in United Nations votes on the war in Ukraine.
What is the relationship between China and Russia? ›The two countries have enjoyed close relations militarily, economically, and politically, while supporting each other on various global issues. Commentators have debated whether the bilateral strategic partnership constitutes an alliance.
How did the Taliban come to power? ›The Taliban found a foothold and consolidated their strength in southern Afghanistan. By 1994, the Taliban had moved their way through the south, capturing several provinces from various armed factions who had been fighting a civil war after the Soviet-backed Afghan government fell in 1992.
Are China and Afghanistan allies? ›Since the United States invasion initiating the War in Afghanistan, Chinese political involvement initially has been somewhat limited, but trade relations have still been continuing with China as Afghanistan's largest trading partner and China giving Afghanistan millions of dollars in aid throughout the war.
Which countries support Taliban? ›Only three countries—Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—ever recognized the Taliban as the country's lawful government and, despite repeated efforts, it never gained control of Afghanistan's UN seat, which remained in the hands of Rabbani supporters.
Does China support Russia's actions in Ukraine? ›Li asserts that “the political trust, strategic coordination and pragmatic cooperation between the two countries have reached new heights” and states that China fully understands and supports Russia's need to secure its core interests, including Russia's actions in Ukraine.
What countries are allies with China? ›China entered into diplomatic relations with Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Maldives in Southeast Asia and South Asia, seven countries including Iran, Turkey and Kuwait in West Asia and the Middle East and five countries in South Pacific such as Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
Is China a superpower country? ›after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lost its superpower status, United States and China are the current superpowers. recently has been suggested as a potential candidate for resuming superpower status in the 21st century. While others have made the assertion that it is already a superpower.
Who are Russia's military allies? ›The Moscow-led CSTO is a military alliance in Eurasia made up of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Who originally funded the Taliban? ›
Saudi-based charities, such as the International Islamic Relief Organization, gave funding to the Taliban during its rise. The Saudi Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice supported its new Afghan equivalent.
What is Taliban's goal? ›Since August 2021, the Taliban's main focus has been maintaining internal unity and this is unlikely to change in the near term. Paying their fighters and soldiers, maintaining harmony between hardliners and more pragmatic elements, and ensuring territorial control remain central to Taliban rule.
Who won the Afghan war? ›The conflict ultimately ended with the 2021 Taliban offensive, which overthrew the Islamic Republic, and re-established the Islamic Emirate. It was the longest war in the military history of the United States, surpassing the length of the Vietnam War (1955–1975) by approximately 6 months.
Why China is supporting Afghanistan? ›China firmly supports Afghanistan in exploring its own modernization path based on its national conditions and independence, taking the future and destiny of the country into its own hands. China is willing to share with Afghanistan its experience in governance so as to achieve common development.
Which country supports Afghanistan? ›Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
It has continued to maintain close ties with North America, the European Union, South Korea, Japan, Australia, India, Pakistan, China, Russia and the Greater Middle East (most specifically Turkey), as well as African nations.
The border was established between Afghanistan and China in an agreement between the British and the Russians in 1895 as part of the Great Game, although the Chinese and Afghans did not finally agree on the border until 1963. The Kingdom of Afghanistan and the People's Republic of China demarcated their border in 1963.
Does Canada support the Taliban? ›Canada has temporarily withdrawn our diplomatic mission in Kabul and does not recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. Since the early 1960s, Canada has provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan initially in response to a series of natural disasters.
Does China have a nuclear agreement with Ukraine? ›In a unilateral governmental statement in 1994, China provided Ukraine with nuclear security guarantee, where China states its inclination to peaceful settlement of differences and disputes by way of fair consultations.
Who are America's allies? ›The United States has bilateral relations with many countries in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. also has treaty allies – Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and Thailand.
What country does not recognize China? ›Bhutan is the only UN member state that has never explicitly recognised either the PRC or the ROC. The Republic of China considers itself to be the sole legitimate government of China (including Taiwan), and therefore claims exclusive sovereignty over all territory controlled by the PRC.
Who is China's largest trade partner? ›
| Rank | Country / Territory | Total trade |
|---|---|---|
| - | ASEAN | 975.3 |
| 1 | European Union | 847.3 |
| 2 | United States | 759.4 |
| 3 | South Korea | 362.2 |
China's population is over four times bigger than America's. Its economy could therefore surpass America's in scale long before it matches it in sophistication. Its GDP per person needs to reach only a quarter of America's for its total GDP to become the biggest in the world.
Will China overtake the US economy? ›Key Facts. China's gross domestic product will surpass that of the U.S. in about 2035, the Goldman group led by Kevin Daly and Tadas Gedminas wrote, while India's GDP will narrowly surpass the U.S.' in about 2075.
How powerful is the United States? ›The US has been ranked the world's most powerful country for the seventh time, according to the latest rankings by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and US News & World Report.
How many allies does America have? ›The report lists 34 countries—NATO members, Japan, South Korea and Australia, (three Pacific allies) and the six member countries of the GCC. These countries are seen as US allies given the minimal requirements of alliance.
Where does Russia's military rank in the world? ›The GFP index denotes Russia as a Top 5 world power. For 2023, Russia is ranked 2 of 145 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. The nation holds a PwrIndx* score of 0.0714 (a score of 0.0000 is considered 'perfect'). This entry last reviewed on 01/19/2023.
Why did the USSR intervene in Afghanistan? ›Affairs with the USSR after the revolution
Even before the revolutionaries came to power, Afghanistan was "a militarily and politically neutral nation, effectively dependent on the Soviet Union." A treaty, signed in December 1978, allowed the Democratic Republic to call upon the Soviet Union for military support.
...
Mullah Omar.
| Amir al-Mu'minin Mullah Muhammad Omar | |
|---|---|
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Military service | |
By 2050, the US expects to import more than 80 percent of its petroleum from this region and much of that oil would be extracted from beneath the deserts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The struggle for control of this last great deposit of oil has been called “the Great Game.”
What religion are Taliban? ›The Taliban follow an ultraconservative Sunni interpretation of Islam. Yet approximately 10 to 15 percent of Afghans are Shia, and there are a significant number of Sufi, small numbers of Ahmadis, and some Hindus and Sikhs in urban areas.
Who is Taliban enemy in Afghanistan? ›
The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The conflict escalated when militants who were affiliated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province killed Abdul Ghani, a senior Taliban commander in Logar province on 2 February 2015.
Who are Taliban's and what do they want? ›The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, two decades after being removed from power by a US-led military coalition. The hardline Islamist group advanced rapidly across the country, seizing province after province before taking the capital Kabul on 15 August last year, as the Afghan military collapsed.
Has the US ever lost a war? ›However, the US was unable to get any significant victory in its wars abroad. America fought five major wars after 1945 including Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan in addition to some minor wars in Somalia, Yemen, and Libya. Except for the Gulf War in 1991, America lost all other wars.
Why is Afghanistan so hard to conquer? ›The difficulty in invading Afghanistan was attributed to the prevalence of fortress-like qalats, the deserts, the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, its severe winter and its enduring clan loyalties, various empires fighting each other while attempting to conquer Afghanistan, and outside neighboring countries support ...
Why didnt Afghan fight back? ›The researchers highlight three other explanations: (a) the corrupt Afghan government, (b) the removal of US air support, and (c) the fact that while it was young men doing the fighting, it was women and older men who would most benefit from the fighting.
What did Russia do to Afghanistan? ›At the end of December 1979, the Soviet Union sent thousands of troops into Afghanistan and immediately assumed complete military and political control of Kabul and large portions of the country.
Did Afghanistan fight with Russia? ›The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.
Why did Russia fight against Afghanistan? ›Moscow Feared Growing U.S. Involvement
They persuaded Brezhnev that even if the Americans weren't actively trying to undermine Soviet influence in Afghanistan, Amin's ruthless but unstable regime would create weaknesses the U.S. could later exploit. Moscow, they argued, would have to act.
Understanding that the Soviet Union's troublesome economic and international situation was complicated by its involvement in the Afghan War, Gorbachev "had decided to seek a withdrawal from Afghanistan and had won the support of the Politburo to do so [by October 1985]".
How did Russia defeat Afghanistan? ›The mujahidin employed guerrilla tactics against the Soviets. They would attack or raid quickly, then disappear into the mountains, causing great destruction without pitched battles. The fighters used whatever weapons they could grab from the Soviets or were given by the United States.
How many Russian soldiers were lost in Afghanistan war? ›
To put that into perspective, Russia reported 14,400 killed through 10 years of war in Afghanistan.
When did Russia invade Afghanistan and why? ›These uprisings, along with internal fighting and coups within the government between the People's and Banner factions, prompted the Soviets to invade the country on the night of December 24, 1979, sending in some 30,000 troops and toppling the short-lived presidency of People's leader Hafizullah Amin.
Who won the Afghanistan war? ›The conflict ultimately ended with the 2021 Taliban offensive, which overthrew the Islamic Republic, and re-established the Islamic Emirate. It was the longest war in the military history of the United States, surpassing the length of the Vietnam War (1955–1975) by approximately 6 months.
What ended the Afghanistan war? › Why did Afghanistan war start? ›In October 2001, U.S. and allied forces invaded the country and quickly ousted the Taliban regime following its refusal to hand over terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in the wake of al-Qaeda's 9/11 attacks.
Why did the Afghan army run away? ›Afghan forces fell apart because of low morale, internal distrust and the loss of U.S. airstrikes, according to the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction.
What was the reason for pulling out of Afghanistan? ›The day before the announcement, Biden called former US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama regarding his decision to withdraw. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision was made in order to refocus resources on countering China and the COVID-19 pandemic.