Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday issued strong backing for Afghanistan at a regional conference.Xi pledged China’s support in a message to a gathering of representatives from Afghanistan, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in a central Chinese city that spotlights Beijing’s aspirations to play a leading role in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US forces last August.A “ peaceful, stable, developed and prosperous Afghanistan ” is what Afghans aspire

By all accounts, the global security setting has been shifted from South Asia to Europe, and even the most devastating crises in the Middle East and Asia have been deprioritised in the Western list of major conflicts. Despite changes in the strategic objectives of the US and NATO, the current situa