Explaining the New Diplomacy of China's Neighborhood toward Afghanistan

In recent years, the unprecedented development of China and Afghanistan relations and the entrance of China into the domain of Afghanistan political evolutions as a neutral actor indicates China’s endeavor to play an active role in Afghanistan issue after thirty years following the policy of “patient and expectation”. The exit of NATO from Afghanistan in 2014 provided an opportunity for China to adopt a new approach in consideration of geopolitical neighborhood. This view of China, contrary to the past, has transformed china from a supervisor country into a constructive mediator country in Afghanistan. The geopolitical neighborhood approach of China includes four political, strategic, geographical and economic significant traits, and Beijing hopes to remove its concern over political security and commercial economics through this approach in Afghanistan. China’s security concerns along with important changes in geopolitical and geo-economic conditions have obliged it to adopt a more active diplomacy in Afghanistan. This paper attempts to answer the question that what are the features and consequences of China's new diplomacy in Afghanistan? This study hypothesizes that constructive interaction with Afghanistan will develop strategic, economic, and security interests of China that are directly concerned with China’s national security risks and its economic opportunities. In fact, Afghanistan as a fragmented, chaotic and fundamentalist country is against the interests of China and a threat to maintaining stability in the autonomous region of Xinjiang.