The world wants China to persuade North Korea to abandon its insistence on developing nuclear weapons, believing that Beijing alone has the influence to do this. It is also seen as the only power that can reduce the worsening relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan and bring the Taliban to the peace table. The US has a large military force in Afghanistan but is focused on domestic affairs.

China has much at stake in west Asia, which is why the country’s foreign minister Wang Yi took precious time off from dealing with North Korea to visit Kabul and Islamabad in late June in efforts to calm relations between its neighbours. Each nation accuses the other of nefarious actions and words have turned into shooting matches on the border.

Beijing is seeking to safeguard both regional stability and its own interests. It is investing $55bn in Pakistan to build an infrastructure spur of roads, railways and power stations in its ‘’One Belt, One Road’’ project and has similar developments across Central Asia. China is keen to link Afghanistan to the same grid, if the country can achieve peace.