What’s new: China held joint anti-terrorism exercises with Afghanistan’s neighbor Tajikistan on Wednesday and Thursday to counter a growing regional terrorist threat, according to Chinese state media.
Conducted in the Tajik capital city of Dushanbe, the Anti-Terrorist Coordination-2021 drills were aimed at coping with terrorist and extremist threats and increasing the level of cooperation between law enforcement agencies, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
Some terrorist groups are moving towards and concentrating in northern Afghanistan (link in Chinese), posing a grave threat to China, Tajikistan and regional security, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs noted, according to Xinhua.
Nearly 100 specialist police officers from both countries drilled using flying drones for anti-terrorist operations, firing various kinds of weapons and clearing explosive devices, Xinhua said.
Why it matters: The drills came days after the Afghan Taliban seized power following the capitulation of the former civilian government in Kabul on Sunday. Many fear that the central Asian country could become a hotbed for terrorism again with the Taliban back in control.
In a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the new Afghan regime should cut ties with all kinds of international terrorist forces, including the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, and “prevent Afghanistan from becoming a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces again.”
Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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