China will expand its 'private army' in Central Asian countries

Washington: – China has stepped up its efforts to fill the void created by the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. China took an important step to establish dominance in Afghanistan and thereby increase its influence in Central Asian countries. China is set to expand its private army, meaning mercenaries, in Central Asian countries.

The announcement was made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on a tour of the Central Asian countries last week. The expansion of the Chinese private military in Central Asian countries will pose the biggest challenge to Russia’s security, a well-known US study group has claimed.

Special meetings were held last week in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to discuss developments in Afghanistan. On this occasion, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Turkmenistan along with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. During the visit, the Chinese Foreign Minister announced the expansion of Private Military Companies (PMCs) in the Central Asian countries.

Over the past few years, China has set up PMCs in Central Asian countries to secure its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative-BRI project. Wang Yi announced the expansion of these companies to increase the number of Chinese private troops in Central Asian countries. The Chinese Foreign Minister said that this will protect the BRI project from terrorist attacks and will not impose a security burden on the countries concerned. At the same time, the private troops will train the military leadership of Central Asian countries, Wang Yi said.

China is said to have invested billions of dollars in the BRI project, which connects Asian countries to the Gulf and Europe. Of these, the main BRI route connecting Europe passes through Central Asian countries. There is strong opposition to the BRI project in Kyrgyzstan. It is also claimed that there is growing resentment against BRI, even in the other Central Asian countries. As a result, China is increasing the deployment of private troops in Central Asian countries to secure its projects.

The US study group ‘The Jamestown’ claimed that the growing deployment of Chinese private troops in Central Asian countries pose a challenge to the United States, Russia and Turkey. According to the US study group, Chinese deployment in these Central Asian countries, which were a part of erstwhile Soviet Russia, could be a source of concern for Russia. The US study group warned that the governments of both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are weak, and their economies are in shambles. In such a scenario, China‘s private military could significantly impact the country’s internal and foreign policies. The US study group has warned that the Chinese dominance over the countries under Russian influence, so far, would be a threat to Russian security.