On 24 May 2023, the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA) organised a panel discussion entitled “The Afghan Road to China?”. The participants of the expert discussion were Zoltán Vörös, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Pécs and Péter Wagner, Senior Researcher at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs. The discussion was moderated by Viktor Eszterhai, Senior Researcher at the HIIA.
At the beginning of the discussion, Zoltán Vörös put the discussion into context, pointing out that, contrary to international rumours, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was not necessarily beneficial for the People’s Republic of China, as the US presence in the region was a stabilising factor for China’s regional investments, and the loss of this stability could pose problems in this area as well. With regard to the international relations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Péter Wagner pointed out that China is an excellent investor for the country, as it does not attach any special conditions to its investments, but China’s action is paradoxical, as although it provides the Taliban regime with essentially all the major support, it does not recognise the regime itself. During the discussion, the participants also discussed the economic opportunities in Afghanistan and the ways in which China could exploit them, the possible antagonisms of the various Afghan interest groups towards China, the form of Chinese aid to Afghanistan. At the end of the discussion, the question of whether it would be possible for China to use hard military means to create stability in its neighbourhood.
As the event drew to a close, the audience was also given the opportunity to ask questions, allowing the experts to discuss, among other things, current trends in Afghan drug production and possible changes in the situation of women in Afghanistan.
Photos by Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA)