America and China have been waging a silent war for decades. The communist regime considers us its number one enemy.
Now China threw down the gauntlet to Donald Trump and things aren’t going to be pretty.
Imagine trying to win back your old family home after handing over the keys to a rough crowd – that’s the uphill battle President Donald Trump is facing with his recent push to reclaim Bagram Airfield from the Taliban in Afghanistan. Four years after the chaotic U.S. pullout left this strategic gem in terrorist hands, Trump dropped the bombshell that America is “trying” to get it back, but experts like Bill Roggio warn that China is lurking in the wings, ready to slam the door shut on any such deal.
The Taliban’s Ironclad Hold on America’s Former Stronghold
Picture this: Bagram, that massive airbase just 30 miles north of Kabul, was once the nerve center for U.S. operations in Afghanistan – a sprawling hub with runways long enough for bombers and enough space to house thousands of troops.
Trump insists his 2020 Doha deal with the Taliban never meant to surrender it outright. “We were going to keep it,” he told reporters during a U.K. visit last week, blaming the Biden crew for the full handover that left it “for nothing.”
But here’s the cold reality: The Taliban isn’t budging. As Roggio, the sharp-eyed senior editor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal, put it bluntly, “First of all, the Taliban will never accept the return to the US. I’d sooner…believe the Taliban would give up on its Sharia or Islamic law before I’d believe that it would let the U.S. return.”
Even if cooler heads prevailed and talks somehow started, Roggio doubts the militants would ever warm to the idea of American boots back on their turf.
From a conservative standpoint, it’s infuriating – we built it, bled for it, and now it’s a symbol of how weakness emboldens our enemies. Trump’s eyeing it not just for nostalgia, but for its prime spot overlooking potential threats, like that supposed Chinese nuclear site “an hour away.” (Though open-source intel hasn’t pinned down any such facility that close, and neither the White House nor Pentagon would spill the beans.)
China’s Quiet Power Play in a Terror-Riddled Backyard
Now, enter the real roadblock: Beijing, with its deep pockets and deeper ambitions. Since the U.S. hightailed it out, Afghanistan’s treasure trove of minerals – lithium for batteries, copper for wires, gold for bling, uranium for… well, you get it – has become China’s playground. They’re the first to slap an ambassador in Kabul back in 2023, and just last August, Foreign Minister Wang Yi jetted in for chummy chats with Taliban bigwig Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The Taliban spilled that China was all in on mining deals and ramping up trade, a lifeline for their cash-strapped regime teetering on economic collapse. Roggio doesn’t mince words: “The Chinese just wield significant influence with the Taliban, particularly when it comes to something like the U.S. return.” If Uncle Sam knocks, expect Beijing to whisper sweet nothings – or threats – in the Taliban’s ear, maybe yanking those lucrative mining rights or dialing back diplomatic nods.
“They would pressure the Taliban by possibly canceling those mining rights, by restricting trade, by ending political and diplomatic recognition. These are all things that are important to the Taliban as they try to develop as a government and try to become legitimately recognized.”
It’s no secret China and Russia want America sidelined, free to weave their Belt and Road web through this mineral-rich mess of a country. For conservatives who see the world through a lens of realpolitik, this is exhibit A of how our retreat handed our rivals a golden ticket – literally.
A Ticking Terror Time Bomb We Can’t Ignore
But the real gut punch? Those billions from Chinese mining deals could flood Taliban coffers, supercharging the very jihadists who sheltered al Qaeda pre-9/11. Roggio paints a grim picture: “Why is this important? Because al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are using Afghanistan as a base of operations,” with training camps popping up in 13 of the country’s 34 provinces. The Taliban? They’re rolling out the red carpet – religious schools for recruits, safe houses for al Qaeda brass shuttling to Iran, even weapons depots stocked and ready.
“The growing Taliban-Chinese relationship is something we should worry about. The Chinese can give the Taliban access to technology – military technology,” Roggio cautioned. “They could give them the resources that they need.” And the kicker: “Afghanistan looks actually far worse today than it looked on Sept. 10, 2001, the day before the 9/11 attacks.”
Trump’s gambit feels like a much-needed gut check for a nation weary of endless wars but allergic to the alternative: a terrorist haven bankrolled by our top adversary. Whether it’s feasible or not, it’s a reminder that strength projects power – and right now, we’re playing catch-up in a game where the stakes couldn’t be higher.
