Chinese humanitarian aid to earthquake hit Afghanistan
The Chinese leadership sends aid to earthquake hit Afghanistan and showcases the country’s advances in non-war military missions.
On June 22 2022, the eastern part of Afghanistan was hit by an earthquake of 5.9 on the Richter scale. The earthquake was so strong that it reportedly was felt in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan and India. More than 1.000 people have been killed, including 155 children, and more than 2.000 have been injured. Not the least, more than 10.000 homes were partially or fully damaged in the hardest hit areas (Paktika and Khost provinces). It is the deadliest earthquake to strike Afghanistan in two decades.
The earthquake comes at a difficult time for Afghanistan as the country is affected both by a humanitarian and an economic crisis following the Taliban take over in August 2021.
Aid to Afghanistan
A number of countries have been providing emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan after the earthquake, including China, US, Australia, India and Iran. On June 22, China declared that it would provide 7,5 million USD (50 million RMB) as immediate aid relief.
The delivery of aid shows that the Chinese leadership wishes to send a signal of providing humanitarian aid to its neighbor in the west.
Advanced heavy-lift transport planes
China’s aid to Afghanistan was delivered to Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, in the Chinese military’s transport cargo aircraft, specifically the Y-20. Six Y-20 aircrafts were deployed delivering 105 tons of relief supplies over three days. This was the first time for the Y-20s to go to Afghanistan.
The Y-20 is China’s largest military aircraft, and is, in fact, the largest military transport aircraft in production anywhere in the world. It is built by the Chinese company Xian Aircraft Industry Corporation. In 2016, the first Y-20 aircraft were delivered to the People's Liberation Army (PLA). According to the Chinese news platform Guancha.cn more than 70 Y-20s are in operation, with the total number of Y-20s expected to exceed triple digits soon. With this, China will have the second-biggest fleet of military transport planes after the US.
The Y-20s have been used in various missions in recent years, in addition to the recent mission to Afghanistan. According to China Daily, six Y-20s were used during the pandemic to carry medics as well as medical supplies from seven cities across China. In October 2021, several Y-20s were sent to Pakistan when there was an earthquake to deliver humanitarian aid. In January 2022, two Y-20 transport planes were sent to Tonga to deliver humanitarian supplies after a volcanic eruption and tsunami. In April 2022, six Y-20s were sent to Serbia, reportedly carrying FK-3 medium-range missile systems, on a three day mission, according to the air tracking site Flightradar24. Moreover, the Y-20s have been used to bring back the remains of Chinese soldiers killed in the Korean war and for counterterrorism drills in Russia. Finally, they were used to fly health workers and equipment to Shanghai to help its mass Covid-19 testing programme during a lockdown.
So what is the significance of this?
First, the above mentioned successful missions of the Y-20s showcase the PLA’s ability to conduct long-range operations and is evidence of PLA’s growing logistical capability. Second, it shows that the Y-20s are used for non-military deployment and is evidence that the military has been taking on more non-military responsibilities as part of the restructuring of the armed forces.
Concludingly
The delivery of aid to Afghanistan shows that the Chinese leadership wishes to send a signal of providing humanitarian aid to its neighbors in need. However, at the same time, the mission in Afghanistan showcases PLA’s ability to conduct long-range operations as well as its advances in logistical capability. With the growing fleet of the Y-20s and the growing importance attributed to non-war military operations from the Chinese leadership, it will be interesting to follow humanitarian aid missions of the Chinese leadership going forward.