Echoes of a different time.

Reading this, I wonder if there were similar articles and "concerns" expressed to the US during the early days of the Soviet presence in Afghanistan.

The US has raised concerns with the Chinese government about the discovery of Chinese-made weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Richard Lawless, departing senior Pentagon official for Asia, on Friday said Washington had flagged the issue with Beijing. In recent months, the US has become increasingly alarmed that Chinese armour-piercing ammunition has been used by the Taliban in Afghanistan and insurgents in Iraq.

A senior US official recently told the FT that Iran appeared to be providing the Chinese-made weapons. He said Washington had no evidence that Beijing was complicit, but stressed that the US would like China to “do a better job of policing these sales”. Mr Lawless said the question of origin was less important than who was facilitating the transfer.

Years before the open transfers of Stinger missiles, the US began its operations to arm and organize the Afghan resistance through Saudi and Pakistani cutouts using the religious schools and the ISI. The premise behind the US effort was not to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan, but instead to tie them down in their own Vietnam.

This is not evidence the Chinese are following along the same path as Chinese AK's, ammo, mortars, etc. flow cheaply around the world, but I wanted to introduce the idea as a possibility.

If the Chinese could assist in tying down the US in another Vietnam, would they? Is that in their interest?