Why Afghanistan matters to China as US withdraws from war-torn country

China is strategically positioning itself in Afghanistan as the US withdraws from the war-torn country, but Beijing’s moves do not come without risks, according to Michael Kugelman with the Washington-based think tank Wilson Centre. The deputy director for the centre’s Asia programme and its senior associate for South Asia said Beijing regards Washington policy in Afghanistan as a failure and has since pledged its support for the Taliban to play a role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction. In an interview with the SCMP’s Alkira Reinfrank, Kugelman says China is trying to strengthen ties with the Taliban to degrade terrorism threats posed by militant organisations and to help expand infrastructure investments, such as Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, but he says there are a number security risks involved.