China announced today that the Shanghai Cooperation Group military alliance (SCO) has "a bigger role" to play in Afghanistan.

Think about this: most of history's major empires have occupied Afghanistan at some point. Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan, the Mugals, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and currently NATO.

China feels its alliance's turn is coming up next.

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BEIJING — China, Russia and four Central Asian countries have vowed to play a bigger role in Afghanistan, Chinese President Hu Jintao said in comments published Wednesday, as NATO forces prepare to pull out.

He said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) -- a group intended as a counterweight to US influence in Central Asia and dominated by China and Russia -- had also decided to strengthen Afghanistan's role in the organisation.

The SCO -- which groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- was formed in 2001 with the view of counterbalancing US and NATO influence in the region.

India, Pakistan, Iran and Mongolia are observers.