• Ananth Krishnan, China Correspondent, The Hindu
• Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu
• Andrew Small, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshal Fund's Asia Program
• Amb. Vijay Nambiar

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan has left a lasting impact on both Afghanistan’s future and on Asian geopolitics. It has also brought China into focus. "The Comrades and the Mullahs" traces the emergence of China as a key player in Afghanistan and the evolution of China’s Afghan policy especially with respect to its relations with the Taliban. Beijing's dominant role in Afghanistan’s future is a potentially game-changing development in Asian geopolitics, even if questions remain about the former's appetite to step in to fill the void and the limits of its ambitions. In this talk, the authors Ananth Krishnan and Stanly Johny will discuss the book, the situation in Afghanistan, what Beijing’s interests are and the drivers of its foreign policy. How is China's new Silk Road project—the Belt and Road Initiative—shaping China–Afghan relations? How is China's approach to groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement leading to an increasingly securitized approach to its western regions and beyond? How has China’s Afghan engagement deepened its ‘all- weather’ alliance with Pakistan, and what is the impact for India?