China officially announced that it would close its borders with Afghanistan. The immediate reason is impending US strikes on the Taliban government. The action also sends a signal to Washington that Beijing will take at least minimal actions to support the new US war on terror. Closing the border also minimizes teh number of Afghan refugees that may try to flee to China to avoid the expanding war. A late report said that China had also closed its borders with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.