Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya (Centre for Policy Research Delhi), Andrew Small (German Marshall Fund of US), Suhasini Haidar (The Hindu), Ambassador Ashok. K. Kantha (Institute of Chinese Studies), Peter Rimmele (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, India)

China sees an opportunity in Afghanistan and is tempted by the space vacated by US and the Taliban takeover, with whom it has cultivated relations over years, to step into Afghanistan economically and strategically. At the same time, in the short term, it is anxious to crush any trouble from the ETIM in Af-Pak. It has also been pursuing strategic connectivity and infrastructure projects in Central and Western Asia to relieve pressure from the US and Quad in the Indo-Pacific. In light of the recent political turmoil in Afghanistan, this panel discussion will examine the factors that will condition Beijing’s relations with the Taliban and its interim government; the likely trajectory of Chinese policy on Afghanistan in the near-term and long-term; and how Afghanistan sits in broader strategic competition between China and the US. It will also explore the dynamics and challenges facing China in meeting its objectives, as well as the evolving China-Pakistan relationship in Afghanistan.