China Urges Respect For Afghan Sovereignty After Trump’s Bagram Remarks
China on Friday urged respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty after US President Donald Trump suggested Washington was seeking to regain control of Bagram Air Base.
China on Friday urged respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty after US President Donald Trump suggested Washington was seeking to regain control of Bagram Air Base.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters that Afghanistan’s future should be in the hands of the Afghan people and warned that escalating tensions and creating confrontation in the region is undesirable.
Trump said Thursday that the US wanted Bagram partly because of its proximity to China. He stressed that one of the reasons the US wants that base is because of its proximity to where China manufactures its nuclear weapons.
Taliban's senior foreign ministry official Zakir Jalali also reacted, describing Trump as a “successful businessman” and framing his comments on Bagram as part of a bargaining tactic.
CNN, citing three sources, reported this week that Trump has been pressing his national security team for months to find a way to return to Bagram, which was abandoned during the US withdrawal in 2021.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it hoped all parties would play a constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability, as US–China rivalry increasingly shapes their positions on Afghanistan.
