China is offering military aid to Afghanistan in line with the country's initiative to further boost its counterterrorism efforts. Reports indicate Beijing giving the go-signal to start setting up its first military base in the northern region of Afghanistan which could house close to a thousand Chinese troops.
According to the Telegraph UK, the base in Afghanistan would be the second overseas site of the Chinese military. The first was opened in 2017 in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.
The Afghan military base will house around 500 Chinese troops. They will undergo training exercises together with their Afghan counterparts which will be held in Wakhan Corridor, a remote part of the north-eastern province of Badakhshan, the report from South China Morning Post said.
SCMP went on to cite the statement released by the Afghan embassy in Beijing on Wednesday, saying that the Afghan government appreciates China's assistance in the fulfillment of its goals to bolster the counterterrorism efforts in the northern Afghanistan region. Both of the nation's military personnel are now working closely in coordination with each other.
Sources claiming knowledge to the issue tipped SCMP that once the construction of the Chinese military camp comes to completion, China's People's Liberation Army will begin dispatching troops to the area. However, a contradicting statement from the embassy indicated that there will be "no Chinese military personnel of any kind on Afghan soil at any time."
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying corroborated the embassy's statement, further confirming reports of the absence of Chinese military troops in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Sydney Morning Herald pointed out that it remains to be found out if indeed the Chinese government will order troops to cross the Wakhan Corridor as the country's Defense Ministry has yet to respond to the claims.
Nonetheless, political experts are now looking into Beijing's intention in offering help to the embattled country. Obviously, the Xi Jinping government is somewhat worried that the apparent political and military instability in Afghanistan could spill into Xinjiang, China's territory which lies the closest to the foreign border.
Moreover, there is a possibility that the persistent insurgency crisis in Afghanistan can affect China's economic plans, particularly Xi Jinping's flagship project, the Belt, and Road Initiative, which is popularly being referred to as the 21st century Silk Road.
As mentioned in a previous report from this site, the Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative is one of the top priorities of the Xi Jinping government wherein it seeks to promote cooperation with countries in the Eurasian region, including Africa.
