The Times of India (October 1st, 2010) reports "After bagging crucial road, rail and infrastructure projects across India's neighbourhood, China is now set to enter Afghanistan [...] brokering a massive political and business deal that will result in rail links between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia." A 700 km line would run through the Taliban infested areas to the Aynak copper mines while connecting them with Kabul and sea ports in two neighbouring countries, Iran (Bandar Abbas) and Pakistan(Gwadar).
If it does so, China - already controlling waterways and one port in Myanmar (Sittwe), East of India, to provide a shortcut and direct access to the Bay of Bengal, and avoid having to convey freight from Western China to Shanghai or Hong Kong and then through the Malacca straights - as well as in Hambantota, Sri Lanka (natural gaz refinery and fuel storage facilities), will achieve her aim of strategically not only bypassing but also encircling India while provinding easy access to Africa and the West.
Let's hope that China is not as presumptuous and naive about Islam as the West has been. First she seems to bet on the success of American pacification effort in Afghanistan and North West Pakistan. Second easing communication between Afpak and Central Asia will also end up do so not only for freight but also for travellers, tourists and - why not ? - militant islamists. If China has shown that she can think for the long term, the need of natural resources, power and influence, plus tht to escape what it feels as being cornered by the US and NATO, should not have her forget that Islam thinks at the scale of History and unwillingly feed the seeds of islamic insurgency in Sinkiang, Chinese Turkestan, on her own territory.
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