"The Saudi Arabia of Lithium" Afghan Acting Foreign Minister visits China, China commits to helping Afghanistan with reconstruction and development

The Chinese Foreign Minister met with the Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Mutaki in Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Minister said that China is willing to expand economic and trade cooperation, personnel training, medical and health care with Afghanistan, and provide support and assistance for Afghanistan's reconstruction and development.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country located in central-south Asia, situated in the heart of Asia. Depending on different definitions of geographical regions, Afghanistan is considered part of South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, and the Middle East. Afghanistan is a culturally diverse country, and due to its geographical location at the intersection of East and West, it was once an important trading center and migration route for nomadic tribes in ancient times.

Afghanistan has significant geopolitical strategic locations, connecting major countries on the Eurasian continent, and has considerable religious and linguistic ties with most neighboring countries. Afghanistan borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north, China to the east, Pakistan to the south, and Iran to the west. The terrain of Afghanistan is mainly mountainous.

Afghanistan is rich in mineral resources and is also known as the "Saudi Arabia of Lithium." It has natural resources such as gold mines, silver mines, copper mines, zinc mines, and iron mines in the southeastern region, as well as precious gemstone veins like lapis lazuli, emeralds, and ultramarine in the northeastern region. There may also be important oil and natural gas reserves in the northern region. In addition, it also has natural resources such as coal, chromite, talc, barite, sulfur, lead, and salt. These mineral resources are estimated to be worth more than one trillion US dollars.

According to World Bank data, the population was 41.45 million in 2023, far exceeding any of the five Central Asian countries. Afghanistan is in urgent need of reconstruction and development. The annual trade volume between Afghanistan and China is about 1 billion US dollars, and in the future, with the gradual commissioning of Chinese investment projects (mines), the trade volume between China and Afghanistan will show "explosive growth."

Due to sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe on some leaders of the Taliban, Afghanistan's financial sector is basically isolated from the global banking system. To break the isolation and blockade, Afghanistan has begun exploring the use of local currencies for settlements with major trading partners. Afghan Acting Commerce Minister Aziz said in an interview that the Taliban government is having in-depth talks with Russia, hoping that the banks of these two sanctioned economies can settle trade transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars in their own currencies.

The fate of Afghanistan is in the hands of the Afghans themselves. As long as the political situation is stable, Afghanistan, with its advantageous geographical location and abundant mineral resources, will definitely have a bright future.

Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, trans-Afghan railway, Ainak copper mine, Kushapat Canal, Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline... Enterprises in China must consider, examine, and expand the Afghan market from the perspective of Central Asia.

Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832917465961483/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone.