India and China are expected to discuss the insurgency in Afghanistan this week as part of their annual counter-terrorism meeting amid concerns the upcoming US forces withdrawal could threaten stability in the region.
Afghan political analysts on Wednesday said that the talks will only discuss Afghanistan in a broad terms as China and India's concerns are focused on protecting their own interests, not on correcting the plight of Afghans.
"The issue of terrorism is at the top of every agenda in the region. So actually this dialogue is about the international and regional ties of the countries," foreign affairs analyst and lecturer Taher Hashimi said.
The talks, which begin Thursday in Beijing, are said to indicate a willingness on the part of China to contribute towards stabilising Afghanistan once the US pulls out. Neither China or India has contributed military troops to the US-led efforts to combat insurgents in Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan is a big threat for countries like China and India because if the security situation gets worse in Afghanistan, the issue of drug smuggling will be a big threat for China, India and even Russia," foreign affairs analyst Ajmal Balochzada told TOLOnews.
Some reports have said that Chinese officials are worried the Taliban will retake the country after 2014.
India and China have met annually since 2002 on the topic of fighting against terrorism in the region.