News Analysis As the Chinese regime sets its sights on the vacuum left by the United States in Afghanistan, neighboring Tajikistan is also finding itself in the crosshairs of Beijing’s long-term strategy. The small landlocked country is the latest subject of the regime’s interests in Central Asia. The Chinese regime will be putting up $8.5 million to build an outpost for a special forces unit of Tajikistan’s police near the border with Afghanistan. Plans for the security outpost were announced on Oct. 28. According to a Tajikistan parliamentary spokesman, “All construction is funded by the Chinese side, [and] after construction, the base will be transferred to the Tajik [police].” According to experts, the Chinese regime is concerned about the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), formerly known as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement. Founded in the far western Xinjiang region of China, this ethnic Uyghur Islamic extremist organization fought side-by-side with the …