China on Friday said that any decision on restoring US presence at Bagram Air Base is up to Afghanistan and its people, responding to President Donald Trump's assertion that Washington wants to reacquire the strategic base because it is close to China.
China respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Afghanistan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here, in reply to a question regarding Trump's remarks.
“The future of Afghanistan should be in the hands of Afghan people,” Lin said.
“Our stress is that hyping up regional tensions does not win support. We hope relevant sides could play a constructive role for regional stability,” he said.
On Thursday, Trump spoke about US intentions to retake the sprawling air base, four years since American forces hastily left under orders from his predecessor, Joe Biden, as Taliban fighters seized Kabul.
Trump cited his reason, stating he desired to reclaim the strategic air base due to its proximity to China.
"We're trying to get it back because they need things from us,” he said, describing negotiations between the Taliban-led interim Afghan government and U.S. representatives on reinstating relations.
He added that U.S. presence at Bagram is strategically important because it's close to China, which is increasingly becoming an economic and military rival.
“But one of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening,” he said.
China, meanwhile, has established diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime shortly after it seized power in Kabul and has invested in reopening a copper mine and drilling oil.
Trump said so in a press briefing with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as he wrapped up a visit to the UK.
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