Opportunity or Nightmare?: Beijing Ponders Western Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan

by Weitz, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780983084273
• ISBN10: 0983084270
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-07-30
• Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr

Summary

China's foreign policy elite is genuinely divided over Afghanistan. One finds a variety of opinion in China regarding the likely future of Afghanistan, how developments there might affect China's security and regional interests, how NATO's planned military withdrawal from Afghanistan affects Chinese interests, and what policies China should pursue. Beijing does not want permanent U.S. or NATO bases on China's western frontiers; however, it also fears NATO will withdraw prematurely from Afghanistan, leaving China to address the regional repercussions of Afghan instability. The Chinese also do not want to assume the main burden of supporting Pakistan, even as Beijing is unwilling to provide much support to the NATO mission. As it has faced in the Arab world, China is struggling to avert bad policy outcomes without compromising long-held foreign policy principles, which is leading to a lot of debate without a clear decision about China's interests and the resulting steps to secure them.