People’s Republic of China’s Policy Toward Afghanistan
By: Dr.Phil. Najibullah Anwar
Afghanistan and the People’s Republic of China have traditionally been friendly neighbors. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1955, the two countries have maintained harmony and mutual friendship. However, their diplomatic relations date back even earlier—to the 18th century—when Afghanistan was ruled by Ahmad Shah Durrani and China was under the reign of Emperor Qianlong. Trade relations between the two nations can be traced back to at least the Han dynasty .
When the People’s Republic of China was founded, Afghanistan was one of the first nations to recognize the new regime in 1950. In 1955, Abdul Samad Khan became the first Afghan ambassador to Beijing. Despite China’s neutral stance on the Pashtunistan policy of the Afghan government, the two countries maintained friendly relations.
In the 1950s, Afghanistan and the People’s Republic of China shared similar foreign policy interests. Both countries participated in the Bandung Conference, representing their efforts to remain non-aligned and to avoid joining military pacts. Two years after establishing formal diplomatic ties, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, after visiting Moscow, arrived in Kabul in January 1957. This visit marked a significant step in strengthening bilateral relations based on mutual respect.
Following this, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan visited the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese leadership described the visit by the high-ranking Afghan officials as the beginning of a new phase in their bilateral relationship.
By the late 1950s, at the request of the Afghan government, a cultural cooperation agreement was expanded. In 1960, a non-aggression and friendship pact was signed in Kabul by both governments. The agreement emphasized that neither side would initiate war against the other, join military blocs, or interfere in each other’s internal affairs. In the 1970s, the development aid from the People’s Republic of China was not very extensive. These aids were focused on textiles, poultry farming, honey projects, and canal construction in Parwan province, and they were quite successful.
The Chinese carried out their work properly and kept a low profile in public. However, after the communists came to power in Afghanistan, China’s aid stopped, as the Soviets and the communist government did not want China to have any activities in Afghanistan. China recognized the communist regime two weeks after the change of government. However, relations soon deteriorated and reached their lowest point. In 1979, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, China condemned the Soviet military intervention and refused to recognize the Soviet-backed Karmal regime. Official diplomatic relations were suspended, and the Chinese embassy was downgraded to a representative office that dealt only with consular and visa matters. After the Soviet military intervention, China began supporting the Mujahideen—Islamic resistance groups—by providing them with training and weaponry from 1978 to 1992 to fight against the Soviet-backed government. Despite supporting and aiding Islamic groups against the Soviet-backed regime, China did not formally recognize the Islamic factions as a legitimate government, including the Taliban government that emerged in 1996. China withheld recognition of the Taliban primarily due to their connections with East Turkestan Islamic groups, as instability in Afghanistan had the potential to spill over into China’s Xinjiang region. Due to these concerns, China initiated contact with the Taliban for the first time in early 1999. In November 2000, China’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Lu Shulin, became the first senior representative of a non-Muslim country to visit Mullah Omar. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, China was not entirely comfortable with the presence of Western military forces in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Karzai-led republic was recognized by China, and the Chinese embassy in Kabul resumed operations. Initially, the Chinese government showed limited interest in investment and development aid in Afghanistan. However, over time, its involvement gradually increased. Between 2001 and 2021, China invested around $3 billion in various sectors, including mining, infrastructure, healthcare, and small-scale development projects.
The withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 accelerated the collapse of the Afghan republic and marked the beginning of the “de-Americanization” of security in Central Asia. This shift opened new strategic opportunities for regional powers and Afghanistan’s neighbors—particularly China.
Although China did not officially recognize the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate after their return to power, it allowed its embassy in Kabul to remain operational. In September 2023, China appointed Zhao Sheng as its ambassador to Kabul, while Bilal Karimi was recognized as the Afghan ambassador to Beijing.
