China despatched a flight to carry residence 210 of its nationals from Afghanistan, state media reported Friday, because the U.S. army prepares to depart the nation and the safety scenario grows more and more fraught.
The Global Times newspaper printed by the ruling Communist Party stated the Xiamen Airlines flight departed July 2 from the capital Kabul and landed in the central province of Hubei. The airline confirmed the report in a submit on its Twitter-like Weibo account however provided no further particulars.
The Global Times and different studies stated 22 of these onboard examined constructive for COVID-19, though these numbers didn’t seem on the National Health Commissions each day report of recent instances.
U.S. forces are scheduled to depart Afghanistan by Aug. 31 after almost 20 years of battling the Taliban. Meanwhile, Chinese firms have invested in Afghan mining and infrastructure, however these property seem more and more in jeopardy because the Taliban seize massive quantities of territory, presumably putting Kabul in danger.
Amid the US pullout, China seems to be making ready to ramp up its involvement in Afghanistan and with Beijing eyeing the war-torn nation for funding and affect alternatives.
According to The New York Post, in current weeks, Beijing has been vocal in slamming the United States for pushing ahead with its troop withdrawal, citing the deteriorating scenario on the bottom. Still, it had not made any public commitments relating to a response.
Reportedly, the Kabul authorities have change into way more deeply engaged with Chinese leaders as the 2 work towards a deal to take a position in Afghanistan’s infrastructure by way of China’s worldwide “Belt and Road Initiative.”
As per the outlet, the trillion-dollar program has funded multiple projects — generally focusing on hard infrastructures like airports, roads, and seaports- throughout Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. However, it is now being used by China to grow its influence by providing infrastructure loans to poorer countries in return for control over local resources.
The media report stated that the deal would extend the USD 62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Beijing-led initiative.
“There is a discussion on a Peshawar-Kabul motorway between the authorities in Kabul and Beijing,” New York Post quoted the sources. “Linking Kabul with Peshawar by highway means Afghanistan’s formal becoming a member of of CPEC,” it stated.
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