China's strategy in Afghanistan.

JewPizza

Junior Member
Registered Member
I think China should drop Pakistan as a partner and replace it with an Afghan partnership and better relationships with India. The Taliban don't get along with Pakistan that much due to border disputes on the Durand Line and targeting of Pashto's(major ethnic group in Afghanistan) in Pakistan. Not to mention that both the previous Afghan government and Taliban have great relations with India. In the future, there are three things that I think China should do:
  1. Let Afghanistan take back the Pashto regions of Pakistan
  2. More investment into Afghanistan
  3. Let India annex the non-Pashto regions of Pakistan
The 3rd point is especially important since China can use this as bargaining chip with India. In exchange for India getting back Pakistan, India will stop border disputes with China.
Afghan_Pakistan_Border.jpeg
 

TK3600

Captain
Registered Member
What does India provide that Pakistan does not? If China do this at best India cause less trouble, there won't be much they are willing to help with. You think India is going to replace all Russian military import for Chinese or something?
 

tphuang

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
VIP Professional
Registered Member
No, you do not drop your long time loyal friend for their bitter enemy. That is a great way to loose in life. More importantly, India simply does not trust China. China cannot have bitter border disputes with India and expect to be partners with them.

I do think supporting both Pakistan and Afghanistan is the right strategy for China. However, Pakistan must be their top partner in the region. In fact, I would completely support a mutual defense treaty between the 2 countries. Pakistan is probably Afghanistan's best friend, so I don't really get the other part of that argument.
 

Overbom

Brigadier
Registered Member
I think China should drop Pakistan as a partner and replace it with an Afghan partnership and better relationships with India.
  1. Let Afghanistan take back the Pashto regions of Pakistan
  2. More investment into Afghanistan
  3. Let India annex the non-Pashto regions of Pakistan
I appreciate the effort on your post but that was a horrifically bad geopolitical suggestion. I would suggest further reading on International Relations, geopolitics, and history
 

JewPizza

Junior Member
Registered Member
What does India provide that Pakistan does not? If China do this at best India cause less trouble, there won't be much they are willing to help with. You think India is going to replace all Russian military import for Chinese or something?
Better relations with India is always good. It means more trade(India has a bigger economy) and less provocation from India.
No, you do not drop your long time loyal friend for their bitter enemy. That is a great way to loose in life. More importantly, India simply does not trust China. China cannot have bitter border disputes with India and expect to be partners with them.

I do think supporting both Pakistan and Afghanistan is the right strategy for China. However, Pakistan must be their top partner in the region. In fact, I would completely support a mutual defense treaty between the 2 countries. Pakistan is probably Afghanistan's best friend, so I don't really get the other part of that argument.
You are right that China should not just drop Pakistan willy-nilly. That was a bad take on my part. However, aren't you just asking for war with India with you idea of a mutual defense treaty with China? Pakistan would probably accept it, but I don't think Afghanistan would. Afghanistan has great relations with India, and Iran isn't invading them anytime soon. There is no reason for Afghanistan to accept a defense treaty with China. Also,
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
. You can't just ignore a border and ethnic disputes.
I appreciate the effort on your post but that was a horrifically bad geopolitical suggestion. I would suggest further reading on International Relations, geopolitics, and history
Look, my post was extreme, and I should've worded it better. With that said, I think China would gain a lot more with better relations with India and an economic partnership with Afghanistan. I'm not China should just suddenly drop relations with Pakistan. What I am saying is that I think China should reevaluate the pros and cons of a partnership with Pakistan vs a partnership with Afghanistan and better relations with India.
 

Fedupwithlies

Junior Member
Registered Member
Better relations with India is always good. It means more trade(India has a bigger economy) and less provocation from India.

You are right that China should not just drop Pakistan willy-nilly. That was a bad take on my part. However, aren't you just asking for war with India with you idea of a mutual defense treaty with China? Pakistan would probably accept it, but I don't think Afghanistan would. Afghanistan has great relations with India, and Iran isn't invading them anytime soon. There is no reason for Afghanistan to accept a defense treaty with China. Also,
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
. You can't just ignore a border and ethnic disputes.

Look, my post was extreme, and I should've worded it better. With that said, I think China would gain a lot more with better relations with India and an economic partnership with Afghanistan. I'm not China should just suddenly drop relations with Pakistan. What I am saying is that I think China should reevaluate the pros and cons of a partnership with Pakistan vs a partnership with Afghanistan and better relations with India.
It's India that is leading the worsening of relations with China. China hasn't done anything. You seem to think China should give up to India and that way India will like China. No, India doesn't think like that. They will see what they think is an easy target and escalate.
 

JewPizza

Junior Member
Registered Member
It's India that is leading the worsening of relations with China. China hasn't done anything. You seem to think China should give up to India and that way India will like China. No, India doesn't think like that. They will see what they think is an easy target and escalate.
Yes, India started it but that doesn't matter. What matters is the benefits of partnership with Pakistan vs a partnership with Afghanistan and better relations with India. An example would be for China and India coming to together for diplomatic talks. China would agree to encourage Pakistan to have better ties with India that could potential lead to reunification while India would stop having border disputes like with Aksai Chin. Through better relations, this could lead to China and India sharing influence in Afghanistan. China can safely invest in Afghanistan through its BRI without India getting in China's way.
 

JewPizza

Junior Member
Registered Member
The biggest problem is that multiple certain countries, both within and outside the region, are constantly destabilizing Afghanistan. Before you can talk economic development, you have to get stability.
What I am talking about is China's long-term strategy surrounding Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. China doesn't need to rush things. Afghanistan suffers from tribalism, but eventually, it will stabilize.
 
Top