China and Afghanistan have always had strong ties and it is bound to become even stronger as Beijing expressed its intent to help the country since the United States has not been giving enough support to the country for the last ten years.

According to reports, representatives from the U.S., China, and Afghanistan met in London for private talks as they discussed how peace would be incorporated in the war-torn country of Afghanistan.

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China has never intervened with the problems in Afghanistan and their decision to extend more help is nothing new as they wanted to help the country in the post but the military presence of the U.S. has been a hindrance for China.

Critics are saying that China pushing toward the role of being a mediator is a sign that there is already a shift in the foreign policies of Beijing as the county is known for not meddling with international issues as they tend to focus on domestic issues.

According to David Sedney, a former U.S. diplomat in Beijing and Kabul for four years from 2009 to 2013,  the latest move of China might be a sign that they want to compete with the U.S. in terms of successfully implementing peace in Afghanistan. He noted that Chinese officials want to prove that they are better regional leaders.

Also, this is seen as a border diplomatic effort since President Xi Jinping was in office back in 2012. Experts are saying that Xi wants to enhance regional diplomacy and the country's standing in the international community.

Another motive being seen by critics as to why China wants to help Afghanistan is that since the country has been at war with Pakistan, China worries that this unrest would affect their Muslim inhabitants in northwest China as Uighur separatists have been constantly blamed in recent violent attacks in Beijing. 

China, Afghanistan and the U.S. met again last month at the United Arab Emirates but information about the meeting was not disclosed.

Aside from military support, Beijing also pledged to give Kabul economic aid until 2017 that will amount to US$327 million. Afghan officials explained that since the U.S. and other allies are about to exit, they have welcomed the help extended by China.

China has been visited by Afghan Taliban last December and a few weeks earlier, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also visited Beijing. Those familiar with the visit say China wants to hold talks between the Taliban and Afghan officials.

China has already started to train the Afghan police and is reportedly set to provide funding for nonlethal security equipment in the coming months.

TagsAfghanistan, U.S., exit, military support