China funds base in Tajikistan amid ambitions to expand 'Belt and Road' in Central Asia

This is the latest sign that Beijing's "footprint" in the Central Asian region is continuing to expand, driven by security concerns and economic motivations as China seeks to expand its Belt and Road Initiative.

Meanwhile, expert Umarov said that the base (in Tajikistan) will be maintained by the Chinese People's Armed Police Force, a paramilitary branch of the armed forces, "responsible for maintaining public order and fighting terrorism in peacetime".

Chinese and Tajik armies conduct anti-terrorism drills. Photo: THX

Tajikistan - This former Soviet republic is the poorest country in Central Asia, sharing a 1,357km border with Afghanistan, along with a 447km border with China’s western Xinjiang region, much of it mountainous. This terrain, combined with a government beset by corruption and cronyism, is an obvious security concern for Beijing.

China has long been concerned that extremist groups operating in Afghanistan and Syria - including some Uighur militants - could use Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries to advance into China.

After the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, more than 1,000 Afghan troops fled to Tajikistan. "For China, security in the border region is very important and is part of its core interests in Central Asia, and expanding its influence is the most effective tool Beijing has in this case. Tajikistan is the only country that borders Afghanistan and is where China has the most influence in the region," said Temur Umarov, an expert on China and Central Asia at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

China is the largest investor in its neighbor, accounting for 37% of total foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2018. According to statistics from Tajikistan's Ministry of Finance, China is also the largest foreign creditor, with the Export-Import Bank of China holding more than $1.1 billion of Tajikistan's $3.2 billion foreign debt in 2020.

In addition, both countries have taken a hardline approach to tackling Islamic extremism. For more than a decade, China has been waging a campaign against terrorism and extremism in its Xinjiang region following a series of attacks that Beijing blames on Uighur separatists.

In 2016, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan established a counter-terrorism mechanism to share intelligence and conduct joint exercises between their armed forces - but its future is now uncertain after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.