Hekmatyar: US Bid to Return to Bagram Proxy Declaration of War on China
DID Press: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has strongly condemned recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about a possible American military return to Bagram Airbase, calling the move a “proxy declaration of war against China.”
The leader of Afghanistan’s Hezb-e-Islami party denounced Trump’s remarks and warned that the US intentions to re-establish a military presence at Bagram signal a shift toward direct geopolitical pressure on China, given the airbase’s proximity to China’s sensitive nuclear sites.
“Trump is obsessed with capturing Bagram, as if he seeks to become a hero—but this heroism is nothing more than a mirage,” Hekmatyar posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Hekmatyar also pointed to recent visits by American delegations to Kabul and the Taliban defense minister’s trip to Doha, claiming these are part of a broader plan for the U.S. military’s return to Afghanistan.
He stressed that these moves—and especially Trump’s rhetoric—contradict America’s said anti-terrorism mission and instead represent a strategic challenge to China.
Hekmatyar considered Washington’s policies humiliating and interventionist, saying: “If the U.S. truly has the will, it should test its strength against great powers like Russia and China, rather than bullying a war-torn Afghanistan or the oppressed people of Gaza.”
He also reminded that despite support from 48 countries, U.S. ultimately faced a humiliating defeat in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Lin Jian, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to Trump’s remarks by reaffirming that Beijing does not support heightened tensions in the region, saying Afghanistan’s future should be determined by its own people.
China—one of the region’s major powers and a close observer of developments in Afghanistan—has repeatedly expressed sensitivity to any renewed U.S. military presence near its borders. Any return of American forces to Bagram, analysts warn, may inflame tensions between Washington and Beijing and further destabilize the region.