How China Could Quietly Play A Key Role In Afghanistan.(International Edition; PEACEKEEPING)

Byline: Melinda Liu

Is Beijing, which is famously allergic to intervention, about to get involved in Afghanistan? It sounds crazy, yet there are intriguing signs. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently floated the notion at a talk at the Council on Foreign Relations, calling it a "possibility for the future."

Chinese Foreign Ministry official Qin Gang quickly rebuffed the notion last week, saying that except for United Nations' peacekeeping operations, "China never sends troops abroad," and that "media reports about China sending troops to participate in Afghanistan are groundless."

Yet the idea of greater Chinese involvement is not as outlandish as it might seem. To be sure, Beijing would balk at sending soldiers to a mission under Western command, like the NATO-run Afghan force. But the People's Liberation Army has become increasingly active in U.N. peacekeeping efforts in recent years. Beijing has deployed 10,000 troops--mainly from engineering units--to U.N. missions in Sudan and other war-torn parts of Africa, as well as to Cambodia and Haiti. If the U.N. Security Council, on which China has a permanent seat, decided to send peacekeepers to Afghanistan, "China would take it into serious consideration," said ...