China’s Role and Interests in Afghanistan

China’s Role and Interests in Afghanistan

Speaker: Pantucci, R. (Royal United Services Institute [RUSI])

Date: 20 July 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Mr. Raffaello Pantucci (Royal United Services Institute [RUSI]) as a part of its SMA CENTCOM (Afghanistan) Speaker Series. Mr. Pantucci first provided a brief history of China’s relations with Afghanistan and outlined China’s four primary interests in Afghanistan: 1) direct security concerns (specifically Uighur militancy), 2) security and instability threats into Central Asia (specifically Pakistan) and then directly into China, 3) economic opportunity in mineral resources, and 4) broader connectivity, which would consequently aid the prosperity of China’s westernmost province. Furthermore, he discussed China’s economic relations with Afghanistan and how Afghanistan may affect China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative. Mr. Pantucci concluded his presentation by detailing China’s security contributions and multilateral efforts in Afghanistan, as well as China’s future in Afghanistan.

To access an audio file of the speaker session, please contact Ms. Nicole Omundson (nomundson@nsiteam.com).

Download Mr. Pantucci’s biography and slides