8am: Several Badakhshan residents have expressed concern over the growing mining activities of Chinese companies in the province. They say Chinese companies are preventing residents from approaching extraction sites by setting up large camps and centers for their staff and equipment. These residents say that when extracting minerals, Chinese companies do not pay sufficient attention to the environmental consequences of their activities and have taken on extensive powers in mineral extraction. They also speak of suspicious activities by some Chinese companies and suspect that these companies are not limiting themselves to gold extraction, and that at night they may also be extracting or processing certain rare minerals. Meanwhile, several economic experts say China’s presence in Afghanistan’s mining sector is a two-sided issue; on one hand it could create important economic, investment and employment opportunities, and on the other hand it could increase the risk of economic dependency and geopolitical consequences. Click here to read more (external link).