After Americans left, Cina will have to protect its interests in Afghinistan

 
 
China has blamed the U.S. and its "abrupt withdrawal" from Afghanistan for the country's rising violence and deteriorating security situation, and on Sunday its Afghan embassy urged Chinese nationals to leave as soon as possible. But beneath the geopolitical jab lay Chinese anxiety surrounding a power vacuum in the country after relying on the American presence to tamp down the worst of the instability in the region for nearly two decades.
 
As China seeks to navigate the endgame and assert its interests in Central Asia -- which have grown considerable since the U.S. first invaded -- it is working with the Taliban directly and through its close ties with Pakistan to prevent any spillover effect should the Taliban take over. Analysts say China was a key beneficiary of the U.S. force presence in Afghanistan. It will have to find a way to protect its own interests from now on.