Taliban officials and Afghanistan’s business community are now irked over fake Chinese promises to invest in Afghanistan as no groundwork has picked pace and the country is been exploited of its natural resources, media reports said.
Much to the Taliban’s dismay, China’s main apprehension is Afghanistan’s potential to become a haven for extremist groups with ties to East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), reported media outlet Afghan Diaspora. Xinjiang is widely known for China’s persecution of the Uyghur minority.
China now fears that Afghanistan will be influenced by the ETIM movement in Xinjiang. The geographical location of Xinjiang is such that the extremist groups in Afghanistan with the help of the 90 km long Wakhan corridor between Pakistan and Tajikistan, can reach Xinjiang. There are historical linkages between East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and the Taliban is also a matter of concern for Beijing.
As per China East Turkistan Islamic Movement seeks to liberate Xinjiang Province and the Uyghur people from Chinese government control and impose an Islamic ideology.