Decision to allow US to re-establish presence in Bagram Air Base should be left to Afghanistan, says China

Beijing: China on Friday said the decision to re-establish US presence at Bagram Air Base should be left to Afghanistan and its people while responding to President Donald Trump’s remarks that Washington is trying to get back the strategic facility for its close proximity to China.

“China respects Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here while responding to a question on Trump’s comments.

“The future of Afghanistan should be in the hands of Afghan people,” Lin said.

“Our stress is that hyping up regional tensions does not win support. We hope relevant sides could play a constructive role for regional stability,” he said.

Trump on Thursday spoke of US plans to acquire the sprawling air base four years after American troops' chaotic withdrawal following the orders from his predecessor, Joe Biden, as Taliban militants took control of Kabul.

Trump said he would like to reacquire the strategic air base because it is located close to China.

“We're trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said, referring to the talks between the interim Afghanistan government led by the Taliban and the US interlocutors to re-establish relations.

He said US presence at Bagram is of value because of its proximity to China which is emerging as a significant economic and military competitor to the US.

“But one of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening,” he said.

For its part, China has established diplomatic relations with the Taliban government soon after it seized power in Kabul and made investments to revive a copper mine and extract oil.

Trump made the comments during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he wrapped up his visit to the UK.