"If US Troops Withdraw from Afghanistan, China Could Deploy Peacekeepers in Afghanistan"

South China Morning Post Outlook

[Image source= EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 16th that if the United States withdraws from Afghanistan, China may dispatch peacekeeping forces to Afghanistan.

SCMP predicted that China could consider sending peacekeeping troops to the region if it judges that the chaos in Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrawal poses a threat to the Xinjiang (新疆) region.

Quoting experts, SCMP anticipated that while China would not send troops to Afghanistan, it might cooperate with other countries in the region to promote political stability locally and reduce security threats to China, and if necessary, dispatch peacekeeping forces.

Sun Qi, an international relations expert at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, stated, "The Afghan government's security forces are not capable of maintaining local stability," adding, "There is a high possibility that Afghanistan will fall into chaos after the U.S. military withdrawal." He further predicted, "If the local security situation is considered a serious threat, China may dispatch peacekeeping forces along with humanitarian aid to protect the safety and interests of its nationals and companies in the area."

On the other hand, Wang Jin, a researcher at the Chinese think tank Chahar Institute, said, "Due to intense competition already surrounding Afghanistan from Pakistan, India, Russia, and others, China will not try to expand its influence in the region." He added, "The U.S. military may redeploy troops withdrawn from Afghanistan to the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions to contain China," and "The United States is expected to increase military activities in the South China Sea and the China-Indochina Peninsula."

U.S. President Joe Biden officially announced the withdrawal from Afghanistan on the 14th. President Biden declared that all U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan will be completely withdrawn by September 11.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.