President Donald Trump has been sharply critical of the chaotic way in which his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, hastily abandoned and withdrew all U.S. forces from Afghanistan, including the strategically located major airfield and military compound known as Bagram Air Base.

On Thursday, Trump surprisingly revealed that his administration has probed the potential of U.S. forces returning to Bagram,  according to Newsmax.

However, subsequent reporting suggests that the ruling Taliban, not to mention neighboring China, stand firmly opposed to letting that possibility turn into a reality.

"We’re trying to get it back"

During a Thursday press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Trump once again criticized former President Biden's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, and noted in particular of Bagram that Biden "gave the base to the Taliban for nothing."

He further revealed that his administration has secretly been discussing with the Taliban the idea of a U.S. return to Bagram, as he stated that "we’re trying to get it back" and that the Taliban "need things from us."

As for why he wanted to reestablish an American presence at Bagram, Trump seemed to indicate that the answer was both strategic and obvious, in that the massive military base is located roughly "one hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons."

Taliban and China said "No"

Unfortunately for President Trump, according to NBC News, a spokesman for the Taliban quickly dismissed the idea of U.S. forces returning to Bagram Air Base, though he did express an openness to forging a better diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Afghanistan through other means.

"Afghanistan and the U.S. need to interact with each other and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect and common interests," Afghan Foreign Ministry official Zakir Jalaly said in a statement.

He added, "The Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the door is open for further interaction."

Similarly, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Affairs Ministry, Lin Jian, also weighed in to express the communist regime's opposition to the idea of U.S. forces returning to a strategically located major military base in a neighboring country.

Lin said that China "respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," and added, "Afghanistan’s future should be decided by its own people. Stirring up tension and creating confrontation in the region won’t be popular."

Trump has been eyeing a Bagram return since March

According to CNN, multiple unnamed sources claimed that President Trump's administration has been quietly exploring the possibility of returning U.S. forces to Bagram Air Base for several months, only to be publicly revealed by Trump in Thursday's press conference.

Those talks began around March, and multiple reasons were offered for why U.S. forces should reestablish a presence at Bagram, including to conduct surveillance on China, gain access to rare earth minerals mined in Afghanistan, create a counterterrorism hub in the region, and to reopen a diplomatic facility in the central Asian nation, among other things.

The outlet noted that Trump, in March, indicated that had he been in charge instead of Biden during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, he would have insisted on retaining Bagram and leaving a small military force there, rather than completely abandoning the base and all of the costly equipment stockpiled there.