The US president has declared his intention to re-establish an American military presence in Afghanistan.
Both China and the Taliban have criticized recent remarks by US President Donald Trump concerning the re-establishment of control over Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base.
Trump has asserted that he is engaged in discussions with Afghan leaders regarding this matter, contending that the base is necessary for Washington due to its proximity to vital Chinese nuclear facilities.
“China respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The future of Afghanistan should be decided by the Afghan people,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated during a Friday briefing in his response.
“Inciting regional tension and confrontation will not be endorsed,” he further commented.
On the preceding day, Zakir Jalaly, a diplomat from the Afghan Foreign Ministry, conveyed that his nation’s populace would oppose the re-entry of US forces.
He asserted that Kabul and Washington ought to foster mutually respectful economic and political relations “without the US retaining any military presence anywhere in Afghanistan.”
This Soviet-constructed base was placed under the authority of the Taliban-led Afghan Defense Ministry following the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which concluded a twenty-year presence in the nation. Trump characterized the pullout, which happened during his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration, as “a disgrace.”
Trump has additionally claimed that China is utilizing the base, though no evidence was offered. Kabul has refuted this assertion.