The Taliban regime in Afghanistan eyes with China for major investments.
The Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, said earlier this week that the new government wants to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, the flagship US $50 billion Pakistan component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Lastweek, a virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbors — China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan — was hosted by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan’s foreign minister.
According to the Beijing’s English-language mouthpiece Global Times, during the meeting China promised emergency aid of US $31 million to Afghanistan, including vaccines and medicines.
China is well aware of Afghanistan’s vast mineral resources that include the Mes Aynak copper mine, which is reputed to be the second-largest in the world in terms of reserved volume.
Meanwhile, Pakistani government officials have welcomed the Taliban’s desire to become part of CPEC. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the interior minister, said in a press conference on Tuesday that the progress of Pakistan and Afghanistan was interlinked.
(Nikkei Asia based)
