News Report: China, Russia, India Intensify Role in Afghanistan to Fight Homegrown Militants

Saibal Dasgupta

BEIJING — A decision by the BRICS nations to name and denounce specific terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere is sparking debate among academics and analysts in China.

Earlier this month, the group, comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, extended their support to Kabul’s counterterrorism efforts during a meeting in China. The move caused some nervousness in Islamabad, forcing Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to first visit Beijing and then fly to Tehran, canvassing support for his country.

This was the first time China had publicly denounced Pakistan-based terror groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which had earlier been censured by the United Nations Security Council. Islamabad had reasons to worry about a possible change in Beijing’s attitude, particularly at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off aid if Pakistan did not change its approach to terrorism.

News Story: China calls on Pakistan, Afghanistan to improve ties

ISLAMABAD, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday that tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan are not conducive to their stability and development as well as regional cooperation, calling on both countries to meet each other halfway so as to improve bilateral ties.

Wang made the call during his meeting with Pakistani top foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz. He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan should send the international community a positive signal that the two sides are willing to restore mutual trust and conduct cooperation through bilateral channels.

Wang also said that China supports the two sides in seeking to establish a crisis managing mechanism as quickly as possible so as to properly deal with contingencies and to form a trilateral meeting system among foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to enhance dialogue and cooperation in all areas.

For his part, Aziz said that Pakistan is willing to intensify communication and improve relations with the Afghan side and to support the political reconciliation process in Afghanistan as these are in line with both countries' common interests.

The advisor said that the Pakistani side has made political and diplomatic efforts on the issue and is willing to activate relevant dialogue mechanisms and channels, adding that it requires the two sides to meet each other halfway.

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News Story: China, Afghanistan to strengthen anti-terror cooperation & China wishes earliest achievement of Afghan national reconciliation - FM

China, Afghanistan to strengthen anti-terror cooperation

KABUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani on Saturday pledged to enhance cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Wang Yi, on a visit here, expressed the hope that both countries will continue to support each other on issues of core interest and deepen cooperation in anti-terror fight. He also said China welcomes Afghanistan to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Wang reaffirmed China's steadfast support for the Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process. He reiterated that China supports the revival of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States and supports the activation of the work of the liaison group between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Afghanistan, which will help create favorable atmosphere for the peace process.

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China wishes earliest achievement of Afghan national reconciliation - FM

KABUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday said China hopes Afghanistan could achieve peace and national reconciliation as soon as possible.

Meeting Afghanistan's National Security Advisor Haneef Atmar here, Wang said China and Afghanistan are close friends and good neighbors. China supports Afghanistan in its efforts to seek a development path suitable to its national conditions, and sincerely hopes Afghanistan can reach national reconciliation as soon as possible in order to realize peace and reconstruction.

He hoped Afghanistan can strengthen unity and consensus, take full advantage of peace talk mechanisms like the Quadrilateral Coordination Group of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States and adopt active and flexible measures to promote the peace process.

Noting that Afghanistan and Pakistan are close neighbors, Wang said as a good friend of both, China hopes the two countries can improve their relations, rebuild mutual trust, co-exist peacefully and cooperate to mutual benefit. This is a must and of great significance not only to their own development, but also to regional anti-terror efforts and peace and stability in South Asia.

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News Report: Hard-Pressed in Mideast, Daesh Threatens to 'Spill Rivers of Blood' in China

Daesh released a 30-minute video pledging to wreak havoc in China to "avenge the oppressed" at a time when the brutal group that once ruled over a third of Iraq and Syria has been consistently loosing territory in the Middle East. The threat could help bring Washington and Beijing closer together, Igor Gashkov wrote for Sputnik.

The propaganda video is said to mark the first time that Daesh has issued a threat to China.

"Tense relations between Beijing and the Islamists have often escaped the attention of the media. However, for two decades China has stated that it has been a victim of terrorist attacks and lamented that its efforts aimed at fighting radical Islam have been underestimated," Gashkov asserted.

News Story: Chinese troops appear to be operating in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon is OK with it

By: Shawn Snow

WASHINGTON — There is mounting evidence that Chinese ground troops are operating inside Afghanistan, conducting joint counter-terror patrols with Afghan forces along a 50-mile stretch of their shared border and fueling speculation that Beijing is preparing to play a significantly greater role in the country's security once the U.S. and NATO leave.  

The full scope of China's involvement remains unclear, and the Pentagon is unwilling to discuss it. “We know that they are there, that they are present,” a Pentagon spokesman said. Yet beyond a subtle acknowledgement, U.S. military officials in Washington and in Kabul would not respond to several detailed questions submitted by Military Times. 

This dynamic stands in stark contrast to the two sides' feisty rhetoric over their ongoing dispute in the South China Sea, and to Washington's vocal condemnation of Russian and Iranian activity in Afghanistan. One explanation may be that this quiet arrangement is mutually beneficial.

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News Story: China, Afghanistan vow more cooperation

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Afghanistan vowed to deepen cooperation on Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Both Wang and Ghani valued the development of the relations between the two Asian neighbors, saying bilateral ties have a solid foundation and grow in right direction.

China, Wang said, appreciated the firm attitude adopted by the Afghan government in its fight against the extreme terrorist group of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

Read the full story at Xinhua