An Analysis of the Establishment of Sino-Afghan Relations

　　ABSTRACT: On January 12, 1950, Afghanistan recognized the People’s Republic of China, and expressed its desire to establish bilateral relations with China. Not long after, Afghanistan stalled this process, citing domestic financial difficulties. While this did reflect the reality in Afghanistan, there are deeper reasons as to why progress was stalled that are worth considering: first, while the Afghan government insisted on maintaining a policy of neutrality, it also made the enhancement of relations with the United States a mainstay of its foreign policy; second, in order to contain the USSR, the United States pulled Afghanistan closer, resulting in the steady improvement of U.S. – Afghan ties. Against the backdrop of U.S. efforts to isolate, blockade, and contain the new China and out of consideration of its direct national interests, Afghanistan suspended the process of establishing diplomatic ties with China. Starting from the second half of 1953, changes in Afghanistan’s domestic politics and a fissure in ties between Afghanistan and the U.S. resulted in the improvement of relations between Afghanistan and the U.S.S.R. As China was then positively advancing friendly diplomatic relations with its neighbors during this “honeymoon period” between China and India, space opened for a shift in Sino-Afghanistan relations. After a series of political dialogues and diplomatic talks, on January 20, 1955 China and Afghanistan issued a communique on the official establishment of diplomatic ties, beginning several decades of friendship between the two countries.