Tolo News: All conditions have been facilitated for the resumption of extraction at the Mes-Aynak copper mine, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) said on Sunday. Mes Aynak is the largest copper mine in Afghanistan. Based on the agreement which was signed between the Afghan government and the MCC, China will extract 6.8 billion
AP: The ancient Buddha statues sit in serene meditation in the caves carved into the russet cliffs of rural Afghanistan. Hundreds of meters below lies what is believed to be the world’s largest deposit of copper. Click here to read more (external link).
WSJ: Following the American exit from Afghanistan, China’s move to claim the country’s vast mineral wealth is centered on a mountain south of Kabul. The mountain and the barren surrounding valley, in Logar province, a two-hour drive from the capital, contain one of the world’s biggest untapped reserves of copper. Click here to read more
Tolo News: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said Sunday that Chinese companies have been scouting ways to access Afghanistan’s lithium and copper mines. According to SIGAR’s tweet, “Afghanistan’s lithium deposits could be among the largest in the world, rivaling those of Bolivia.” Click here to read more (external link).
Patsy Widakuswara VOA News October 16, 2021 WHITE HOUSE — U.S. officials and independent analysts reacted skeptically Friday to a Taliban claim that China is ready to invest billions of dollars in Afghanistan. White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated the United States is more concerned with helping the Afghan people as the nation’s economy collapses
Reid Standish Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 20, 2021 The sudden takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country has left China facing a precarious mix of opportunity and risk as it prepares to deal with the new power brokers in Kabul. Only hours after the Taliban took control
Tolo News: An estimated $2 billion in government revenue has been lost due to inactivity from a copper mine–the country’s largest–in the last 10 years, TOLOnews findings reveal, based on projections of the mine’s worth since a deal was made between the Afghan government and a Chinese company in May 2008. Click here to read
Associated Press: A company founded by a London-based banker signed agreements Friday with the government of Afghanistan to explore for gold and copper in the north of the country. Centar Ltd. said it hopes to begin exploration in two sites next year and would within a year become one of the largest private-sector employers in the
thethirdpole.net: China’s appetite for minerals has powered a rapid expansion of its international mining interests in all major metals – including copper, which is vital to the automotive, power generation, and consumer electronics industries. But so far not much has been done in Mes Aynak. Click here to read more (external link).
William Gallo VOA News February 2, 2018 Afghanistan’s government is in advanced stages of negotiations with several U.S. companies interested in becoming involved with the country’s coal industry, a first step toward wider American investment in Afghanistan’s potentially lucrative industrial mining sector. The negotiations – confirmed to VOA by a senior Afghan diplomat and the