Regime,Region and Reputation: Understanding China’s Multilevel Engagement in Afghanistan

Abstract

China has wide-ranging interests in Afghanistan. How China is going to realize these interests is a very significant question which needs urgent and detailed inquiry. Such a China-focused inquiry is also called for since today China is perhaps the most significant neighbor of Afghanistan. This article seeks to understand and analyze China’s engagement in Afghanistan through a ‘level of analysis’ approach. It argues that China’s engagement and intervention in Afghanistan can be understood as unfolding at the levels of ‘regime,’ ‘region,’ and ‘reputation.’ It is divided into three main parts, with each dedicated to the study of a particular level. First, at the level of ‘regime,’ China is actively seeking to co-opt and transact with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan from the position of strength after thoroughly analyzing Taliban’s vulnerabilities and requirements. Second, at the level of ‘region,’ China is actively trying to bring the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, primarily Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and Central Asian countries, on board various diplomatic mechanisms to play a decisive role in Afghanistan-related matters. Third, China is ardently seeking the status and reputation of a ‘global player,’ which can bring peace to global hotspots through diplomatic innovations and engagement. Achieving tangible outcomes in Afghanistan, something which evaded the United States in its two-decade-long presence in the country, could then be utilized by China to showcase the superiority of its governance and diplomatic model. It concludes by combining the three levels together to look at China in the larger gamut.