French Media Focus on the Impact of Afghanistan's Security Situation on Chinese Investment

After a suicide bombing occurred at a Chinese restaurant located in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, on January 19, the French newspaper Le Monde published an article on Monday stating that China's Afghanistan strategy has been impacted by a series of attacks. The article stated that in recent years, Beijing has been pushing forward its mining projects in its neighboring country Afghanistan, considering Afghanistan's stability as an important factor in ensuring the stability of Xinjiang. However, now the safety of Chinese citizens in Afghanistan is increasingly threatened.

On January 19, Jenny, a young Chinese female owner, was attacked by a suicide bomber at her beef noodle restaurant in the bustling area of downtown Kabul. The Islamic State organization later claimed responsibility for the attack. The incident resulted in 13 injured and 7 dead. According to Chinese media reports, one of the deceased was a Chinese citizen, and five Chinese citizens were injured.

After this restaurant explosion, the influential defense blog "World of Weapons Analysis" quickly published an article on January 21 questioning: "If even the safety of having a meal in the core area of the capital cannot be guaranteed, how can the safety of large-scale mining and infrastructure projects located in remote provinces be ensured?" The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly reminded Chinese citizens, "Given the current security situation in the area, it is advisable to avoid traveling to Afghanistan in the near future."

Le Monde wrote that according to a report from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce in 2024, about 200 Chinese people are estimated to live in Afghanistan.

On November 26, 2025, a cross-border attack launched from Afghanistan targeted a gold mine workers' camp in the southeast of Tajikistan, resulting in the death of three Chinese technical personnel.

On November 30, 2025, another night-time armed invasion from Afghanistan entered the Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan, targeting Chinese workers building a highway for a state-owned enterprise, resulting in two deaths and multiple injuries.

Chinese Investment in Afghanistan's Mineral Resources

Le Monde pointed out that after the Taliban came to power in the summer of 2021, they tried to break the international isolation and sought foreign investment to develop mineral resources and rebuild the economy. In November 2021, five Chinese investors went to Afghanistan to examine lithium mineral resources. At that time, the Global Times quoted the former vice president of the China National Chemical Import and Export Chamber of Commerce, Zhou Shijian (音), saying, "The biggest problem is security. If security cannot be guaranteed, the investment would be a loss."

In 2023, the Chinese state-owned enterprise Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Natural Gas Company signed a 25-year contract to carry out oil and gas exploration in the Amu Darya Basin, with an investment of more than $540 million. The influential defense blog "World of Weapons Analysis" said, "At that time, the Taliban promised to do their utmost to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel."

In August 2025, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post reported that the Mes Aynak mining project in the central part of Afghanistan might finally be launched. This mine is one of the largest copper mines in the world, and China Metallurgical Group has had the right to mine it since 2008, but it has long been unable to operate due to war.

Indirect Impact on National Stability

Additionally, since February 10, 2025, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, a railway freight service was opened between Chongqing, China, and the Hairatan port in Afghanistan, allowing low-cost Chinese goods to rapidly flood into Afghanistan. A Xinhua News Agency reporter stationed in Kabul wrote on January 23: "Every time I go to stores and supermarkets in Afghanistan, I see Chinese products: shoes, socks, hats, kitchenware, and household appliances. These goods give ordinary Afghans the opportunity to improve their lives." According to United Nations data, 85% of Afghans live on less than $1 per day.

Le Monde stated that despite many obstacles and uncertainties in China's economic presence in Afghanistan, it has had a positive impact on maintaining Beijing's relationship with the Taliban regime, indirectly affecting Afghanistan's stability, thereby promoting the stability of China's western regions.

Afghanistan shares a border with China's western region, with a border length of 76 kilometers. When the Taliban seized power in the summer of 2021, Zhao Huasheng (音), then director of the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Fudan University, said: "For China, the starting point of its Afghanistan policy is the security and stability of China's western region... Large projects and investments in Afghanistan by China are not seen as a national security issue."

Source: Le Monde

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855518115343369/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.