China has put great effort into addressing the Afghan issue in recent years, especially in 2016. Last week, China delivered its first batch of military aid to Afghanistan.

Prior to this, multilateral cooperation has already been notable. The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of China, the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan was established to promote the Afghan peace process, and an anti-terrorism mechanism which includes China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan has also been proposed. In addition, high-level security talks are frequently held between Beijing and Kabul.

National Security Advisor to the Afghan president Mohammad Hanif Atmar was warmly received by high-level Chinese officials this April. Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed during a meeting with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in May that China firmly supports Afghanistan in fighting terrorism and will continue to provide assistance for the country to strengthen security, adding that China firmly supports the peaceful reconciliation process of Afghanistan and the inclusive process of Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation, which is a fundamental path for the country to realize long-term peace and stability.

Beijing is now playing a more active and positive role in addressing Kabul's security issues. China's security policies in Afghanistan have been shifted from previous defensive strategies to offensive-defensive ones.

China has taken a number of factors into consideration in changing its security policies in Afghanistan.

Instead of relying on other major powers, China has to play a leading role in addressing regional security issues. As a rising power, China needs to establish a regional security cooperative system that meets its own interests. This is of vital importance to consolidate China's international status.

Russia is also seeking a dominant status in Afghan security issues.

For instance, Moscow has established a Collective Rapid Reaction Force on the Tajik border, and launched a trilateral security mechanism with Afghanistan and Iran.

The "Belt and Road" initiative plays a significant role in China's security policies in Afghanistan as well.

As an interregional proposal for economic cooperation, the initiative needs a sound regional security environment. However, the security situation in Central Asia and South Asia is far from perfect.

In addition to the Taliban, Al Qaeda and affiliated organizations, the Islamic State (IS), the Hikmatyar faction of Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin and the Haqqani Network are expanding. Furthermore, Afghanistan and Pakistan still have unsettled conflicts in border areas. This will bring a number of security risks to the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Afghanistan's peaceful reconciliation will help counter IS development. The contentious relationship between the Afghan government and the Taliban is the biggest obstacle in Afghanistan's peaceful reconciliation, and therefore China hopes to strengthen the pro-government militia's competitiveness so as to force the Taliban back to the negotiation table.

According to Daily Outlook Afghanistan, more than 50 districts in the nation face serious security threats. Nine of these districts are under the Taliban's control. The Taliban's new chief Haibatullah Akhundzada has shown little interest in participating in the peaceful reconciliation process.

In the meantime, as the US has decided to keep 9,800 soldiers in Afghanistan until April, 2017, the Taliban is aware that its military operation will only play a limited role in the current situation.

In fact, the US military forces are targeting not only the Taliban, but also IS expansion, which is also a concern for China. Therefore, China has shown great support for Afghanistan's will to strengthen military cooperation.

However, Beijing is reluctant to provide Afghanistan with heavy weapons, which Beijing worries may be seized by rebellious militias or IS, or used in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border conflicts. The latest military aid China has offered to Afghanistan does not include heavy weapons.

Above all, considering its international responsibilities, its national interests and Afghanistan's current security situation, Beijing is expected to play a more active role in Kabul's security issues in the future.

China will continue to create conditions for all parties to reconcile and lead the whole process in its own way.

The author is an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn. Follow us on Twitter @GTopinion