Akmal Dawi VOA News September 7, 2023 WASHINGTON — The Taliban, facing international sanctions and a dire economic outlook at home, have intensified efforts to leverage Afghanistan’s vast natural resources. From oil to copper, gold and lithium, the Islamist leadership, unrecognized by any nation as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, has inked multibillion-dollar mining deals with Chinese and
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 31, 2023 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban announced Thursday they have signed more than $6.5 billion worth of mining contracts with local and foreign companies from China, Iran, Turkey and Britain. Shahabuddin Dilawar, the Taliban minister of mines and petroleum, said the seven contracts cover the extraction and processing of gold, copper,
WION: Concerns have been raised that Beijing is moving closer to profiling Afghans in order to strengthen its influence in the nation after Chinese telecom firm Huawei received orders from the highest echelons of the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan to deploy CCTV cameras throughout provinces. Click here for more (external link).
SCMP: Chinese traders and business leaders report foreigners returning to the streets of Kabul. But the risk of sanctions and security factors mean Chinese companies are still reluctant to invest in Afghanistan, says academic. Click here to read more (external link).
Roshan Noorzai Nazrana Ghafar Yousufzai VOA News | July 12, 2023 WASHINGTON — The Taliban may have achieved a diplomatic win in an agreement to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, analysts said, but implementation of the project still faces challenges. “The three sides reaffirmed their resolve to fully harness Afghanistan’s potential as a hub
South China Morning Post: State media heralded the departure of a cargo from Lanzhou, a key transport hub, but analysts said its main importance is the symbolism. Freight will pass through Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, two countries where China is hoping to build a rail link. Click here to read more (external link).
The China Project: In 2008, the Afghan government and a state-owned Chinese company signed a deal to mine copper at Mes Aynak, just south of Kabul. The Taliban renewed the agreement. So why is the project stalled? For now, China and MCC hold all the cards. Ultimately, what will happen will depend much more on
Akmal Dawi VOA News May 25, 2023 WASHINGTON — Among a small number of ambassadors who remain in Kabul, Wang Yu, Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, appears the busiest. This week, Wang met with three Taliban ministers, two of whom are particularly shunned by Western diplomats — Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister who has a $10 million
Ayaz Gul VOA News May 24, 2023 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban have announced the resumption of direct flights between Afghanistan and China after a gap of three years, saying it would help boost bilateral economic and political relations. The first weekly passenger flight of the national flag carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines left Kabul on Wednesday for
Ayaz Gul VOA News May 8, 2023 ISLAMABAD — The chief diplomat of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban insisted Monday that his government had not banned girls’ education “permanently,” while women continue to work in different sectors across the country. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi addressed a seminar in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, to wrap up a four-day