Opinion | Can China succeed where America has failed: in coexistence with the Taliban?

By Augustus K. Yeung

"'We welcome this,' Beijing says, as Taliban takeover brings to an end the United States' two-decade war to 'liberate' Afghanistan."   ---- South China Morning Post, August 17

Behold "Captain America" on the way out

There was this moving sight at the Kabul airport: A commotion caused by a crowd of desperate residents stampeding alongside—some climbed over and above--the gigantic American airplane which was taxiing on the tarmac and evacuating the Americans out of Kabul, the capital (in early anticipation of assault from the rapidly advancing Taliban).

What we see is what Wang Yi gets from Taliban

What appeared thought-provoking to me was the scene of a high-level Afghanistan Taliban unexpectedly befriending Beijing, meeting with the soft-spoken Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, whose face beamed with bonfire.

What brought the Taliban to Beijing?

From the perspective of a war-torn country, the Afghan Taliban have nothing to lose but everything to gain: They need a reliable country such as China to help them stabilize the chaotic situation left behind by the retreating Americans; they want to reconfigure Afghanistan as China has been miraculously nation-building; and, perhaps they are inspired by the spirit of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), impressed by China's wisdom in organizing their party, enriching the nation, managing international relations; and the way the Chinese leaders trained the highly disciplined People's Liberation Army (PLA), serving the people, and on behalf of UN, guarding world peace.

Moreover, foreign aid and trade promotions are reasonable expectations. Above all, getting close to China is more comforting and less taxing than turning to America and its allies: they mouth more about "human rights" issue far more than they can diffuse. Besides, Beijing is more patient, accommodating and reassuring; action/truth speaks.

China today is a case history of success; it is an MBA textbook material, worth modelling by the Taliban, often portrayed as "bandits". Historically, Afghanistan which had served three "monarchs or masters" in about a century, beginning with the British Empire, the Russian regime and now "Captain America", is in urgent need of a trustworthy partner or tutor, one that has a good record of great achievements like communist China, brought back from the brink.

The War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion

The invasion of China by the Imperial Japanese Army magnetized the factional Chinese armies together, (though not without complications), with a common purpose--to resist the invading enemy in the "War of Resistance Against the Japanese" (1937 – 1945), known as the "Eight Years War of Resistance".

Amid eight years of hardships, the CCP amassed a good reputation through assisting the oppressed and underprivileged villagers, developing mutual trust, forming a power base, and building a strong army, the PLA--whose motto ever since the early revolutionary years has always been to "serve the people."

After the war, the island of Taiwan was repatriated to China as it had been under Japanese occupation for fifty years. But war broke out between the CCP and the KMT again, although the Americans had repeatedly attempted to broker a deal.

This large-scale civil war was fueled by Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the KMP who insisted on uncompromisingly wiping out the CCP–assisted by leading Japanese POW--against the patriotic sentiments of all the Chinese (regardless of party affiliation) soldiers and civilians, who had been jointly fighting the Japanese, following a cooperative strategy.

Mao Zedong and the founding of the PRC

In retrospect, had the KMT leadership been conciliatory and accommodating, the two parties could have reached a compromise, and set up a joint government. Chiang Kai-shek made two major errors in judgement. First, he overestimated the strengths of his army; Second, he fatally underestimated the iron will of the CCP to reinvent a new China.

Reality caught up with the KMT leadership. The victorious army of the CCP chased its rival out of China, beginning with the Battle of Shan-Yang, in north-eastern China, leaving the KMT regime to flee to Taiwan. Under the protection of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, "guarding" the Taiwan Strait.

Meanwhile, Mao Zedong founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, and with great pride proclaiming: "The Chinese people have stood up…"

The rest is history of modern China with its land reform, controversial cultural revolution, socio-economic experiments known as "war against poverty", liberating 777 million people. A staggering figure that stunned David Cameron, then British Prime Minister.

What attracts the Afghan Taliban's attention?

To be willingly "tamed", the Taliban would have to be attracted to China. Perhaps, it is the spectacular success of the CCP that has impressed and inspired the Taliban so much so that they decided to come to Beijing to bank on China: a peace-loving nation, which had had similar predicaments as the people of Afghanistan; an established republic, which has no territorial ambitions; a nation working for world peace and prosperity (Belt and Road); and a partner that the badly bruised Afghanistan can safely work with in their aspiration to rebuild a nation.

Will Beijing be able to help the Afghan Taliban?

Incidentally, critics or commentators may ask: "Why talk about the Chinese Communist Party?" One sociological truism suggests that we "listen to what the people say."

Do you hear what the happy Chinese people are singing? "Without the CCP there won't be a new China," so they say.

There is one vital area where the Taliban can learn from China, i.e. in how to win the hearts and minds of its people. That is essential to the Taliban's eventual success in nation-building.

With unique success from setbacks, China can "tutor" the Afghan Taliban; China would even want to showcase its economic miracles and military might and be a role model for developing countries.

The Chinese have a famous saying: "You can conquer a country on the horseback. But you cannot run a country from the horseback." The Taliban can benefit from China's experience in uniting its people. Winning on the battlefield is not enough. If China succeeds in helping Afghan's new conquerors in stabilizing this unconquerable country, China will earn the respect of the world, not just of the West.

Will Beijing step in as a tutor, assist Afghan Taliban, and adjust Taliban's tarnished image as demonized by Washington? It remains to be seen: one demand would be for Taliban to disassociate with the notorious insurgents. As for America's military adventure in Afghanistan, it's all Much Ado about Nothing, a modern drama of another Shakespeare's tragedy since the Vietnam war in the 1970s.

 

The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.