Challenges and Opportunities for Integrating into the Belt and Road Initiative After the Changes in Afghanistan

Abstract

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, Afghanistan has been willing to join. However, due to the political instability in Afghanistan and the worrying domestic security environment, China has not officially responded to Afghanistan’s accession to the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2021, the Afghan Taliban announced that they would take control of state power and form a new government, and although Afghanistan still faces many challenges, there is a trend of improvement. The first part of this paper discusses the significance of Afghanistan’s accession to the Belt and Road, and then the second part discusses the challenges of integrating into the Belt and Road Initiative after the changes in Afghanistan and some urgent issues that need to be solved. Then discuss the opportunities faced by joining the “Belt and Road” initiative after the changes in Afghanistan, and what are the benefits for achieving domestic development and strengthening cooperation with other countries. Finally, certain policy suggestions are given.