China's Economic and Strategic Interests in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has a unique and indeed, an immense significance in the strategic calculus of People’s Republic of China. The geopolitics of this Chinese neighbourhood has four glaring peculiarities, which include; political, strategic, geographical, and economic. In the rapidly changing global security environment, these aspects demands a deeper cooperation not only between China and Afghanistan but also for the regional integration of all those countries eager for regional peace and harmony, based on mutual respect and sovereignty. The central argument of this research is based on the postulation that in the post 2014 scenario, ‘constructive engagement with Afghanistan will serve the Chinese strategic, economic and security interests. In the academic sphere, the argument is strongly supported by the realist school of thought. It directly correlates with China’s own national security stakes and economic opportunities. Indeed, a fragmented, fundamentalist and anarchic Afghanistan would stand contrary to China’s interest of maintaining stability and defying the ongoing militancy in its autonomous region, Xinjiang. Though security may be the immediate objective, the long-term aim is economic and strategic cooperation with Afghanistan, driven by the liberal paradigm, which China finds as the most crucial and enduring. Such a Chinese engagement will improve security situation and bring economic development in Afghanistan; a win-win situation.