As U.S. Exits, China Takes On Afghanistan Role - WSJ

After a Decade of Rebuffing U.S. Requests for Help in Afghanistan, China May Be Ready to Do More

In December, representatives of the U.S., China and Afghanistan met for private talks in London, the first time the three countries convened to seek ways to forge peace in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official said.

The previously undisclosed meeting, which came within days of a visit by the Afghan Taliban to Beijing, was a step on a path long resisted by China, wary of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and reluctant to meddle in its neighbor’s affairs. The three countries met again last month at an international meeting on Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates, one participant said.

“In a certain sense, they’re competing with the U.S. for success in Afghanistan. They want to prove they can do it better,” said David Sedney, a former U.S. diplomat in Beijing and Kabul and deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia from 2009 to 2013.

U.S. officials declined to discuss the outcome of the talks. But China’s participation is seen as part of a broader diplomatic effort that began around the time Chinese President Xi Jinping took power in 2012 and has since intensified.

The December trip to Beijing by the Afghan Taliban delegation was the second in recent months, Afghan and foreign officials said. And it came weeks after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ’s visit to Beijing, his first official trip abroad.

Beijing has also pledged $327 million in economic aid to Kabul through 2017, and now appears to be exploring ways to enhance Afghanistan’s security as the U.S. and its allies make their exit.

China’s foreign ministry said Beijing wanted to play a “constructive role” supporting an Afghan-led peace process, but didn’t respond to specific questions about the Taliban visits or other diplomatic activities. Afghan officials have said they welcomed a role by China.  Read More at As U.S. Exits