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).
Ariana: Officials representing several Chinese companies are in Afghanistan to conduct on-site inspections of potential lithium projects, Reuters reported. Afghanistan is rich in resources ranging from copper, lead, zinc, gold, oil and gas, bauxite, coal, iron ore and rare earths. It also has large reserves of lithium, a key component used for the batteries of
Roshan Noorzai VOA News October 4, 2021 WASHINGTON — The international community is renewing its focus on Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, believed to be worth more than $1 trillion, lying untapped within its often-hostile geography. This comes as the newly formed Taliban government faces a looming economic crisis in the country. The mineral deposits could potentially be
Time: Today, in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal, Chinese strategists are thinking bigger, and eyeing deals to exploit Afghanistan’s mineral deposits. An Afghan parallel to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor—the $50 billion development of factories, power plants and pipelines from Kashgar in Xinjiang province to the Pakistani port of Gwadar in the Persian Gulf—might
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
Nike Ching VOA News August 17, 2021 WASHINGTON – With the U.S. military drawdown in Afghanistan, China says it is ready to move ahead in its relations with the Taliban, but foreign policy experts say Beijing remains apprehensive about what comes next and may not devote a vast security and economic commitment to Afghanistan in
Fox Business: Former Trump deputy national security adviser KT McFarland argued Afghanistan is part of China’s plan to expand its global power on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” Thursday. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 28, 2021 Reid Standish Ajmal Aand Afghan security forces broke up an alleged Chinese espionage ring in December that was operating in Kabul and trying to infiltrate terrorist networks in the country. The Afghan government said little about the issue besides acknowledging the arrests. Beijing publicly denied knowledge of the
Pierrepont Johnson III: Afghanistan has a unique opportunity, though one that comes with its own risks – the country’s $3 trillion worth of mining deposits. To date, efforts to harvest Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, which exceeds the GDP of Great Britain, Italy, or India, have largely failed. The threat of the Taliban and extortion from militias,
Al Jazeera: Rich in copper, lithium, talc, marble, gold, uranium and others, Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth is estimated to exceed one trillion dollars. But according to data, every year the government loses around $300m in revenue from mining. Poor security, the lack of proper legal framework and organisational capacity, as well as corruption, have prevented the development of the sector. Deficient