Sept 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 5
INDIA NEWS
WORLD THIS WEEK Contributed by the National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru
Compiled by Sukanya Bali, Avishka Ashok, Dincy Adlakha, Vaishnavi Iyer and Harsimran Singh Sondhi
China: Beijing’s economic interests in Afghanistan outweigh likely threats from the Taliban NPR
Russia: For Moscow, the Central Asian concerns are crucial in Taliban’s Afghanistan
Afghanistan: With the Taliban back, Pakistan feels victorious in Kabul
The Economic Times
The New York Times
What happened?
What happened? On 16 August 2021, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying held a regular press conference and stated: "China has maintained contact and communication with the Afghan Taliban and played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue." She demonstrated tacit support for the Taliban by adding: "We hope the Afghan Taliban can form solidarity with all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and build a broadbased and inclusive political structure suited to the national realities, to lay the foundation for achieving enduring peace in the country." The statement also read: "China respects the Afghan people's right to decide on their own future independently. We are ready to continue to develop good-neighbourliness and friendly cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in Afghanistan's peace and reconstruction." With this, she confirmed that the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan is operating smoothly with its staff despite many Chinese nationals being brought back to China. What does it mean? First, China was apprehensive of the American presence in Afghanistan. However, now the withdrawal, too, causes another apprehension. The US will not have any liabilities in South Asia and would direct its resources towards China. Second, recognition from China would give legitimacy to the Taliban and open doors for integrated cooperation. There may be some distrust with the Taliban's promises, but Chinese economic interests in Afghanistan speak louder.
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What happened? On 17 August, the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov praised the Taliban's conduct and described its approach as "good, positive and business-like." He said the Taliban had made Kabul safer than it was under the previous authorities. Dmitry Zhirnov, called the Taliban "reasonable guys" following a "positive and constructive meeting". He added that the Taliban guaranteed the Russian embassy's security. On 19 August, Sergey Lavrov said: "We see encouraging signs from the Taliban who say they would like to have a government that includes other political forces." On 20 August, Zhirnov described the situation in Afghanistan as one of cautious hope and said that "it should be better" calling for the Taliban to take socioeconomic measures to help boost development. What does it mean? First, the Russian government is confident about the intentions of the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, it has declared that it would not be making any unilateral decisions on giving the Taliban a dejure recognition. As per the 2003 status, the Taliban remains a terrorist group. Russia has assured that it will only change its status if the United Nations does. Second, Russia is now interested in filling the void created by the US exit, with its main focus on securing regional cooperation with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to secure Central Asian stability. Russia may have to adopt to new realities in Afghanistan and pursue its strategy accordingly.
On 17 August, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan declared that the Afghans had "broken the shackles of slavery" in a wartorn country. He believes that the withdrawal was a "logical solution." Roofi Hasan, who is the Prime Minister's special assistant, took to Twitter to state that Ashraf Ghani's "corrupt" government rule was a "virtually smooth shift" to the Taliban. Many retired and serving generals are thrilled that Pakistan will finally have "friends" in the driving seat in Kabul, and have expressed admiration openly for the Taliban. On 20 August, Pakistan's army and the Taliban held a "meet and greet" at the border areas. One of the Pakistani soldiers was also seen taking a selfie with one of the Taliban. The friendly act came after Islamabad released terrorist Mullah Mohammad Rasool, the leader of a splinter faction of the Taliban. He spent around five years in Pakistan prison and was freed days after the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani administration. On the same day, Imran Khan urged his ministers to refrain from commenting on the Taliban takeover as it is a "sensitive matter." On 21 August, reports suggested, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is likely to visit Kabul on 22 August 2021. Pakistan is determined to play a "positive role" and their envoy in Afghanistan said in a statement, that he is also in touch with different Afghan personalities. What does it mean? The return of the Taliban can have both good and bad implications on Pakistan. Pakistan may feel better with the exit of the US and the likely decline in the Indian presence in Afghanistan. Pakistan may also feel better with a friendly regime in Kabul, which has been one of its primary interests in Afghanistan. However, there are dangers as well for Pakistan. What lessons will the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and other extremist groups in Pakistan learn from the success of the Taliban?
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WORLD THIS WEEK
ALSO IN NEWS
Daily Sabah
By Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok China: Tech scrutiny over unfair competition tightened On 17 August, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued a draft regulation to ban unfair competition and restrict the use of user data, in the tech sector. The draft stated, operators "must not implement or assist in the implementation of unfair competition on the Internet, disrupt the order of market competition, affect fair transactions in the market." On the same day, Reuters reported: "the Chinese government has also taken ownership stakes in the domestic entities of social media giants ByteDance and Weibo," citing corporate filings. China: Astronauts complete second spacewalk On 20 August, two Chinese astronauts conducted a second spacewalk at the new space station. The astronauts installed a platform for extravehicular activity on the space station's robotic arm, a thermal control pumping set, and a bracket to the panoramic camera. According to CCTV news, astronauts returned back to the module one hour ahead of the time schedule. Three astronauts are expected to stay for three more months in the space station. Hong Kong: Pro-democracy activist found guilty; four arrested on suspicion of terrorism On 19 August, Andy Li, Hong Kong's pro-democracy activist, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit collusion with the foreign country in a national security case. The court identified that Li, "was instructed by Jimmy Lai" to lobby countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China. On 18 August, Hong Kong Police arrested, "four students on suspicion of advocating terrorism." Last month, their student union passed a motion for the mourning of the death of a 50-year-old who stabbed a policeman before killing himself. Secretary for Security Chris Tang had described it as a terrorist act by a "lone wolf." Australia: Police arrests antilockdown protestors On 21 August, Australian police arrested hundreds of anti-lockdown protestors in Melbourne and Sydney. On the same day, the country saw its highest single-day rise of COVID-19 cases. State Health Minister said, "We are in a very serious situation here in New South Wales." He further added, "There is no time now to be selfish, it's time to think of the broader community and your families." Police blocked private and public transport in order to reduce people gathering for the unauthorized protests. Pakistan: First MILGEM ship inaugurated; nation strengthens
relation with Turkey On 15 August, Pakistan's President, Dr Arif Alvi while addressing the inauguration of 1st MILGEM Ship, PNS Babur, appreciated Turkey's support. He said, "The relationship between Pakistan and Turkey was a force for regional peace and stability with their exemplary support towards co-existence and cooperative multilateralism." As per the agreement, four MILGEM will be constructed. President Alvi also congratulated the Turkish Defence Ministry for making progress under President Erdogan's leadership. Germany: Chancellor visits Russia and discusses evacuation of Afghans from Kabul On 20 August, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him to pressure the Taliban in Afghanistan to ensure the safe evacuation of citizens who align themselves to the West. She said: "I have given information that we in Germany consider it most important to evacuate people who have worked for over 20 years for us. Those citizens of Afghanistan should receive a place to stay in Germany." Putin urged the world to prevent the further collapse of the country by accepting the reality where Taliban controls Afghanistan. The US: President Joe Biden's statements on developments in Afghanistan On 16 August, US President Joe Biden addressed the crisis in Afghanistan at a press conference. He used the opportunity to reiterate the US' objectives in Afghanistan and said: "We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago with clear goals: get those who attacked us on 11 September 2001, and make sure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us again." He stated that the US objectives were never aimed at nation-building or creating a unified and centralized democracy. About the Authors Dincy Adlakha is a postgraduate scholar from Christ (Deemed-tobe-University). Vaishnavi Iyer and Harsimran Singh Sondhi are research interns in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok are Research Associates at NIAS. The report has been modified by India News due to space considerations.
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