China and Tajikistan Adjacent to Afghanistan Conduct Joint Drills... "Concerns Over Terrorism"

Concerns Over Uprising by Islamic Armed Groups Including ETIM
Possible Links Between Taliban and Terrorist Organizations Raised

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Chinese government announced that it is conducting counter-terrorism drills with Tajikistan, a neighboring country of Afghanistan. This is interpreted as a joint exercise with Tajikistan following Russia, amid concerns that the activities of Islamic fundamentalist rebel groups across Central Asia will intensify due to the Taliban's reoccupation of Afghanistan.

According to China's state-run Global Times on the 19th, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security stated that it has been conducting joint counter-terrorism drills with the Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, since the day before. The Global Times reported, "The changing situation in Afghanistan is causing anxiety and concerns about terrorism in neighboring countries."

According to the Global Times, Zhao Kezhi, head of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, wrote in a letter to the Tajik side, "The current international situation is undergoing significant changes, and the regional counter-terrorism situation is not optimistic," emphasizing, "This exercise demonstrates the two countries' determination to enhance the response capabilities of counter-terrorism forces and to fight against terrorism."

The reason China is conducting counter-terrorism drills with Tajikistan is analyzed to be due to concerns that, following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, Taliban-affiliated organizations across Central Asia, as well as extremist armed groups such as Al-Qaeda and IS, may simultaneously rise up. In particular, China is known to be greatly concerned about the possibility that the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a major separatist group in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, may expand its influence with support from the Taliban, which is also an Islamic Sunni armed group.

Earlier, at a regular briefing the day before, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed support for the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan but emphasized that "the Taliban must resolutely strike terrorist organizations, including ETIM," and stressed that they must not be connected to terrorist groups.

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