After the last US troops leave the country on Friday, China is preparing to fill the vacuum left by US troops in Afghanistan.

It is part of the Chinese "Belt and Road" initiative. China is adopting a series of strategies to replace the United States in Afghanistan, most notably the economic side. The authorities in Kabul are studying the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a massive economic project involving a number of $62 billion worth of infrastructure projects aimed at establishing a land route linking the city of Kashger in China and the port of Kadar of Pakistan.

China's President Xi Jinping launched the project in 2013, as a global infrastructure development fund, aimed at better linking China to the rest of the world.

The project is due to be completed by 2049, with China providing large loans to countries to support them in creating better infrastructure, including the construction of new highways, railways and energy pipelines between Pakistan and China to Afghanistan.

One of the projects currently under discussion is the construction of a major road between Afghanistan and Peshawar, north-west Pakistan.

The authorities in Kabul and Beijing are reportedly discussing that strategic path.

An unnamed source is quoted as saying: "Connecting Kabul and Peshawar by road means Afghanistan's official accession to the China-Pakistan economic corridor."

The source indicated that there has been communication between the Afghan Government and China over the past few years, but this has led the United States to doubt the direction of Afghan President Ashraf Rich.

Through its Belt and Road strategy, China hopes to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and sea networks spanning 60 countries.

The strategy, according to observers, will enhance China's influence worldwide at an estimated value of $4 trillion.

Afghanistan could give China a strategic foothold in the region to trade with the nation, which is a central hub linking the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe.

The expert on political affairs for South Asia, Michael Cogelman, considered that Washington's departure from Afghanistan gave Beijing an unprecedented strategic opportunity.

"There will certainly be a vacuum to fill, but we should not exaggerate China's ability to do so. With the security situation in Afghanistan out of control, there is much that China can do to solidify its presence. "

He explained that "the consolidation of China's presence in Afghanistan will depend significantly on whether Beijing reaches an understanding with the Taliban."

The United States military officially handed over the Bagram base to Afghan forces, as a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defence announced Friday, after the last foreign troops left the large compound as part of their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

 

"US and coalition forces have completely withdrawn from Al Qaeda, and the Afghan army will therefore protect and use them to fight terrorism."

It should be noted that this step comes about 20 years after American troops were stationed at the base.

Bagram is the largest American base in the region, and has been the center of the war that American forces have fought against the Taliban since 2001.