October 20, 2023
1 min read

Taliban Wants to Formally Join China’s Belt and Road

China has been in talks with the Taliban over plans, begun under the previous foreign-backed government, over a possible huge copper mine in eastern Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News

Afghanistan’s acting commerce minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi has said the Taliban administration wants to join China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. It will send a technical team to China for talks, he added.

Azizi told Reuters that they had requested China to allow Afghanistan to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative. He also said the two sides were holding technical discussions.

Taliban officials and ministers have at times travelled to regional meetings, mostly those focused on Afghanistan, but the Belt and Road Forum is among the highest-profile multilateral summits it has been invited to attend, The News reported.

The impoverished country could offer a wealth of coveted mineral resources. A mines minister estimated in 2010 that Afghanistan had untapped deposits, ranging from copper to gold and lithium, worth between $1 trillion and $3 trillion. It is not clear how much they are worth today, The News reported.

China has been in talks with the Taliban over plans, begun under the previous foreign-backed government, over a possible huge copper mine in eastern Afghanistan.

Azizi will continue discussions in Beijing on plans to build a road through the Wakhan corridor, a thin, mountainous strip in northern Afghanistan, to provide direct access to China, Akhundzada said.

Officials from China, the Taliban and neighbouring Pakistan said in May they would like Belt and Road to include Afghanistan and for the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to be extended across the border to Afghanistan, The News reported.

Azizi encouraged Chinese investment in resource-rich Afghanistan, highlighting lithium, copper, and iron.

He said security is a top priority for the Taliban-led government, enabling travel to previously restricted industrial, agricultural, and mining provinces. At the Belt and Road Forum, Afghanistan and 34 other nations joined forces to advance digital economy and green development.

ALSO READ: Taliban to Join China’s BRI Forum

Previous Story

UNAMA Calls on Taliban to End Arbitrary Detentions of Journalists

Next Story

China Slammed For Lack of Evacuation Efforts for Citizens in Israel

Latest from -Top News

Trump: Big India Deal Coming Soon

Trump Says US ‘Close to Deal with India’ Amid Fresh Global Tariffs…reports Asian Lite News In a major development on the global trade front, US President Donald Trump has announced that the

Modi’s Grand Brazil Entry

Modi Gets Grand Welcome in Brazil with Fusion of Shiva Tandava and Samba Rhythms…reports Asian Lite News Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a rousing reception in Brasilia as he arrived for

Netanyahu Meets Trump Amid War Talks

The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu came after the latest rounds of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar…reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump has said that he

Trump Targets BRICS Allies with New Tariff

This move coincides with the ongoing BRICS summit being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil…reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump has announced that an additional 10 per cent tariff will

BRICS Endorses India’s Stand on Terror

The treaty proposed by India within the UN framework aims to provide a comprehensive legal basis for combating terrorism….reports Asian Lite News The leaders’ joint statement, issued after the 17th BRICS summit
Go toTop

Don't Miss

‘Afghan GDP likely to drop 20%’

The UN body also warned that failing to invest in

WFP delivers China’s aid to 70,000 food-insecure Afghans

The food aid, including wheat flour, yellow split peas, vegetable