Not long after the fall of Kabul, a handful of Chinese tourists were spotted in the mountainous province of Bamiyan, home to the towering Buddhas blown up by the Taliban two decades before.
A small symbol of a budding relationship between the Chinese government and the Taliban, the tourists seen in 2022 have been followed by many more. Today, however, the lure of China and the bounty of Beijing’s infrastructure projects along the old Silk Road threaten to upset fragile relations between Afghanistan and its neighbour Pakistan.
Both are attempting to convince Beijing that their countries are safe enough and stable enough to be part of, or remain part of, its global infrastructure embrace. The nascent rivalry has spilled into the open this week with