China’s Evolving Security Presence in Afghanistan and Central Asia
Publication: China Brief Volume: 21 Issue: 2
Introduction
In December, officials from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan told the Hindustan Times that a network of ten nationals from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were detained in Kabul for organizing a “terrorist cell.” Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) began a crackdown on the alleged spies on December 10, 2020, and officials reported that Beijing had pressured President Ashraf Ghani’s government to suppress reports of the incident (Zee News, December 19, 2020; Hindustan Times, December 25, 2020). In early January, Afghanistan reportedly released the ten Chinese nationals and allowed them to return to China (Hindustan Times, January 4).