Beijing sets sights on Afghan copper,ignores doubts over Taliban's security and reliability
The state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation has announced the start of work at the Mes Aynak mine, one of the largest copper deposits in the world. But the area is still mined, infrastructure is lacking, and security risks remain high. The Kabul regime is seeking legitimacy by focusing on Chinese investment, and Beijing is proceeding, but with caution.
Beijing (AsiaNews) - A Chinese company has announced that it has made progress in starting copper mining in Afghanistan. The state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) claims to be ready to start work at the Mes Aynak mine in Logar province, central Afghanistan, one of the largest unexplored sites in the world, despite the fact that the contract for the project was signed 17 years ago.
The road leading to the mine is also almost completely impassable, but a number of doubts remain regarding security. The Mes Aynak project was awarded to MCC on a 30-year contract in 2008, but has been delayed due to the presence of archaeological remains dating back to the Bronze Age, as well as landmines left behind after decades of war and a lack of infrastructure, the company said.
In October last year, the Taliban, who regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, announced that the Mes Aynak mine would be converted from an open-pit mine to an underground mine in order to protect the archaeological finds.
After the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban sought international legitimacy and attempted to establish a series of diplomatic relations to encourage investment, giving particular priority to large infrastructure projects, which often involve Central Asian countries.
According to Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University in China, interviewed by the South China Morning Post, it is typical of the Taliban government, but also of the previous Western-backed administration, to be concerned about the ‘demonstrative effect’ of such projects: “They hope that major engineering initiatives such as this will stimulate further foreign investment, including cooperation in the mining sector and other large infrastructure projects,” the expert commented.
For China, copper is one of the substances of fundamental strategic importance, like rare earths. According to current estimates, demand will grow by 40% by 2040. According to Chinese calculations, the Mes Aynak deposit contains 705 million tons of materials, including 11 million tons of copper alone.
However, the costs incurred by MCC to date are also high. The company has already invested more than 0 million without any return, according to Deng, while the total cost of the project has risen from .8 billion to billion.
China imports 60% of global copper production, while supplying 45% of refined copper worldwide, which is why it needs to secure a steady supply of the mineral.
However, a situation similar to that already faced by the Chinese in Pakistan is likely to arise in Afghanistan, where engineers and skilled workers from Beijing are often targeted by terrorist attacks in Baluchistan because they are accused by local independence groups of grabbing the territory's resources.
The reliability of the Taliban government is also questionable. In June, Kabul tore up a major oil extraction contract with a Chinese company due to alleged repeated breaches of contract terms. The 25-year contract was signed in 2023 with a promised investment of 0 million in the first year and a projected total of 0 million over three years.
This is one of the reasons why Beijing has so far been very cautious in its diplomatic approach to the Taliban. Unlike Russia, for example, it has not officially recognized the Taliban government, although it has maintained diplomatic representation and appointed an ambassador in 2023. Recently, the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan met and pledged to work for regional stability.
However, apart from existing agreements (one of which was signed in March to expand exports of pine nuts, pomegranates, and stones to China), Zhou believes that further developments are unlikely. A March agreement to form a joint group to expand trade ties, including boosting Afghan exports to China of pine nuts, pomegranates, precious stones, and minerals.
“The Taliban have not made substantial efforts on China's main concerns, namely issues related to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement,” a group accused of terrorist attacks in the Xinjiang region.
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13/01/2022 12:01
