The US president has announced his intent to renew an American military presence in the country
China and the Taliban have slammed US President Donald Trump’s recent statements about retaking control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base.
Trump has claimed he is in talks with the Afghan leadership on the issue, arguing that Washington needs the base due to its close proximity to some of China’s key nuclear infrastructure.
“China respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Afghanistan’s future should rest in the hands of the Afghan people,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in response during a briefing on Friday.
“Stirring up tension and confrontation in the region will not be supported,” he added.
A day earlier, Zakir Jalaly, a diplomat at the Afghan Foreign Ministry, said that the people of his country would reject the return of US troops.
He argued that Kabul and Washington should pursue mutually respectful economic and political ties “without the US maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan.”
The Soviet-built base came under the Taliban-led Afghan Defense Ministry after the disastrous US pullout from Afghanistan in 2021, ending a two-decade presence in the country. Trump has called the withdrawal, which occurred on his predecessor Joe Biden’s watch, “a disgrace.”
Trump has also alleged that China is using the base, without providing evidence. Kabul has denied the claim.
