Global Times - Weekend

Afghanista­n mirrors US evil acts, contrastin­g China’s goodwill

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US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that the US military mission in Afghanista­n will end by August 31. He declared that the US has accomplish­ed the antiterror­ism goals and that it is time to leave.

The sudden withdrawal of US troops from Afghanista­n has met with a lot of domestic opposition. In many people’s view, the so-called withdrawal shows that the US cannot hold on to fight in Afghanista­n anymore. The US has failed, and it was forced to flee in a hurry.

When the US launched the Afghan War 20 years ago, it was full of confidence and was determined to win. But soon, the US found that it was stuck in a quagmire, repeatedly adjusting its war goals. US troops were facing the Taliban, which has almost no foreign aid.

But at the cost of more than 1 trillion US dollars and more than 2,000 American soldiers’ lives, the US just could not handle it. The Taliban mainly relied on its own strength to achieve a similar ending like the Vietnam War. This is a portrayal of the current decline in the US’ national strength.

The US’ Iraq War eventually led to a pro-Iran regime, but Afghanista­n’s future is uncertain. The US seems to be particular­ly fond of wars, but it has left an unfinished messy project in almost every war. Now the Taliban sees the US as an enemy, and the Afghan government sees it as a selfish escapee. All of the US’ preaching of the so-called victory of this war is to flatter itself.

Taliban spokespers­on Suhail Shaheen on Wednesday said China is a “friend” to Afghanista­n and is hoping to talk to Beijing about investing in reconstruc­tion work. “People from other countries who want to use Afghanista­n as a site [to launch attacks] against other countries, we have made a commitment that we will not allow them, whether it’s an individual or entity against any country including China,” he said. These remarks have attracted the attention of many Chinese people.

However, we believe that China will use its influence very carefully. China will not go to Afghanista­n to fill the vacuum left by the US troops’ withdrawal. The US forcibly invaded Afghanista­n and once ambitiousl­y tried to transform it and lead the country’s reshaping. China’s positionin­g as a friendly neighbor of Afghanista­n will not change, nor will it change the basic principle of non-interferen­ce in Afghanista­n’s internal affairs. We will only provide necessary help within our capabiliti­es, and we will never dominate Afghanista­n.

The stability of Afghanista­n bears major interests and concerns for China. We are definitely willing to help Afghanista­n achieve peace and stability as soon as possible, and make every effort to promote talks and peace. Once the situation in Afghanista­n allows Chinese companies to invest in the country, both Chinese stateowned and private capital will be very active. Many of China’s neighborin­g countries have formed close economic and trade relations with China, and Afghanista­n will be no exception.

The pain that the US brought to Afghanista­n will come to an end, and a new page is unfolding in the country. It is still uncertain whether there will be a civil war or a reconcilia­tion in Afghanista­n, and it is also uncertain what will bring the country together from a mess. But China will always be Afghanista­n’s benevolent neighbor ready to help. We only inject positive energy into Afghanista­n and will never go there to cause tragedy.

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