On Friday, China reacted strongly to the plan of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to resume control of the Air Bagram Base of Afghanistan and said that “promoting tensions and creating confrontation” in the region goes against people’s aspirations.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, said the country’s future should be decided by the Afghan people, according to the State Global times.
“China respects independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, and that the future of the country should be decided by the Afghan people,” he said.
“Prying tensions and the creation of confrontation in the region goes against people’s aspirations,” said Lin, adding that China expects all parties to play a constructive role in the promotion of regional peace and stability.
On Thursday, Trump said his administration is trying to ensure the return of the Taliban Bagram Air Base, although the details in the negotiations so far were looked scarce.
Trump said that part of his motivation to try to react the installation is due to its proximity to a nearby site where China produces nuclear weapons, regretting that the control of the United States on Bagram was not maintained during the US withdrawal under former President Joe Biden.
Although the interim administration had not yet officially responded to Trump’s claims, Zakir Jally, a Taliban official, said that Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history and the return of the Bagram Air Base was rejected during Doha’s conversations.
“Historically, the military presence has not been accepted by the Afghan, and this possibility was completely rejected during the conversations and Doha’s agreement,” he wrote in X.
Jally added that Washington needs to interact with Afghanistan and both countries have economic and political relations based on mutual respect and shared interests, regardless of whether the United States has a military presence anywhere in Afghanistan.
