Late last month, China made further inroads into Afghanistan, a regime that the West has been trying to isolate. This time, Chinese diplomats and businessmen, along with Taliban officials, started the preparatory works for the Mes Aynak copper-mining project.
Located just 40 km southeast of Kabul, Mes Aynak is said to be the site of the world’s second-largest copper deposit, estimated at 30 million metric tonnes. The project, billed at $3 billion, was signed with the pre-Taliban government in 2008. After a delay of 16 years, work has finally begun. The state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) holds a 30-year mining concession and has access to one of the most sought-after metals in the world. If properly developed with a long-term vision, once functional, the mine is expected to significantly impact global copper supply and even perhaps lower the price of the metal that is crucial for the renewable energy industry.
Afghanistan, largely isolated under Taliban rule and shackled by banking restrictions, has been struggling to rebuild its economy shattered by decades of war. With few nations willing to work with the ultra-repressive regime, the Islamic country is now betting on its vast mineral resources. A report by the Brookings Institute estimates that the country possesses some 2.3 billion metric tonnes of iron ore and 1.4 million metric tonnes of rare earth minerals. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Afghanistan has stores of untapped minerals, such as iron, gold, and lithium, to the tune of $1 trillion.
China, the country’s “traditionally friendly neighbor,” is partnering with Kabul in the initiative. President Xi’s government has consistently pursued deeper cooperation with the Taliban regime. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, since “August 2021, China has provided Afghanistan with humanitarian assistance worth more than 350 million RMB yuan, including cash, food, medicine, and wintering supplies.”
In contrast, the U.S. approach has shifted dramatically.
After spending over one trillion dollars, the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021. The Biden Administration’s withdrawal was sloppy and disorganized, with events on the ground moving faster than the administration could manage, putting it on the defensive. It was not what one would expect from the world’s superpower. It was one of the low points of Biden’s foreign policy. His approval rating took a big hit then and never recovered.
Beijing has been steadily expanding its influence through geopolitical forums like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and undertaking ambitious infrastructure development projects predicted to boost economic activity in partnering countries.
The Chinese industry has been eyeing Afghanistan’s extensive oil and rare mineral deposits. In addition to Mes Aynak, reports of joint ventures, such as the $310 million contract for a gold mine in Takhar province’s Chahab district, have emerged over the past few years.
However, the ground reality is far from rosy. Despite the ambitious and lucrative deals, work on the ground has often failed to take off. Afghanistan’s tenuous law and order situation is a major stumbling block that dissuades international firms from commencing projects. There have been attacks on Chinese personnel both in Afghanistan and in neighboring Pakistan. The rise of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K)is another challenge that the Taliban has to address.
The groundbreaking ceremony, despite the security concerns, highlights the project’s importance for both countries. China’s industries require a steady supply of rare earth minerals, and Beijing has been in the race to lock up suppliers for the long term. Beijing is solidifying its lead in the quest for critical minerals with such lucrative and prolonged mining rights and deals. With the economy in shambles, the Taliban has to generate revenue and show some degree of development to maintain iron control over its people.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Slain Hamas Chief Haniyeh To Be Buried In Qatar – VOA
Qatar on Friday is due to hold funeral ceremonies for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his killing in Tehran, an attack blamed on Israel that has deepened fears of a regional escalation.
Haniyeh, the Palestinian armed group’s political chief, had resided in Doha along with other members of the Hamas political office.
2. Turkey Blocks Access To Instagram, Gives No Reason
Sabah newspaper, which is close to the government, said access was blocked in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killing of Hama political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Unlike its Western allies, Turkey does not consider Hamas to be a terror organization. A strong critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Erdogan has described the group as “liberation fighters.”
3. Democrats’ Weakness On Israel Is Prolonging War In The Middle East – Federalist
Two recent speeches by high-profile politicians about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war capture their opposite approaches and goals, and two high-profile assassinations this week show exactly how Israel intends to keep fighting it.
4. Australia Blames ‘Serious Failures’ For Lethal Israeli Strike On Aid Convoy – AFP
An Israeli strike that killed seven charity workers in a Gaza aid convoy was the result of “mistaken identification” and a raft of other serious failures, the Australian government found in a report released Friday.
Canberra is now pushing for Israel to apologize to the victims’ families and urging its military to rethink how it engages with aid groups in the Palestinian enclave.
The deaths of an Australian, three Britons, a North American, a Palestinian, and a Pole triggered global outrage.
5. Explosions Rock Crimea In ATACMS Missile Attack: Reports – Miami Herald
Ukrainian forces attacked the city of Sevastopol in annexed Crimea with U.S.-made ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems), Russian state-run media reported on Friday. The Kremlin-installed governor of Sevastopol said debris from an ATACMS missile struck a nine-story building, breaking through its roof.
6. Americans Held In Russia Including Gershkovich, Whelan Freed In Prisoner Swap – UPI
President Joe Biden on Thursday said that three American citizens and one green card holder detained in Russian prisons were released in a prisoner swap.
Biden said in a statement that the four “unjustly imprisoned” people released Thursday included U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian journalist with British citizenship who also holds an American green card.
7. Two Years, Secret Talks, High Stakes: How Prisoner Swap Deal Was Struck – BBC
The origins of this deal, which involved two dozen prisoners, can be traced back to 2022.
But behind-the-scenes negotiations between Russia, the US, and four European countries ramped up earlier this year before intensifying in recent weeks as a final agreement came into view for all sides.
8. German President Seeks Forgiveness In Poland On 80th Anniversary Of Warsaw Uprising -RFI
On Wednesday, the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising was observed, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sought forgiveness from the Polish people. He emphasized that Germans must always remember the immense suffering their nation inflicted on Poland.
“We Germans must not forget,” the German head of state said in Warsaw, the Polish capital, where people rose against the occupying German forces during World War II. He met with very elderly veterans of the battle.
9. Taiwan Turns Against J.K. Rowling For Stirring Olympic Boxing Gender Controversy – TIME
Local politicians and journalists are taking jabs at Rowling, some Harry Potter fans have vowed to boycott her products, and social media users have defended Lin Yu Ting, the 28-year-old Chinese Taipei women’s boxer who has found herself at the center of a raging debate about biology and sports.
Sharing an article by the Guardian about the controversy surrounding Lin and Khelif, Rowling posted on X earlier this week: “What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?”
10. U.S. Recognizes Opposition Candidate González As Winner Of Venezuela’s Election – UPI
The United States recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of Venezuela’s recent presidential election on Thursday night. The Biden administration is exerting pressure on the South American country’s authoritarian leader to start peaceful transition talks.
“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
11. Leader Of The Venezuelan Opposition Says She Is In Hiding And Fears For Her Life – Miami Herald
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that she is in hiding and fears for her freedom and her life.
Machado, the main force behind former ambassador Edmundo González’s presidential candidacy, emphasized that Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro lost Sunday’s election and that she can prove it.
12. Argentina To Use AI To Stop Crime Before It Happens – UPI
A statement said the new AI unit will focus on the “prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of crime,” in addition to conducting drone surveillance, patrolling social media, and using facial recognition to bolster security measures.
The announcement comes after the Buenos Aires court ruled in 2023 that facial recognition technology by the government was unconstitutional in the city. The judge in the case said the system was installed without complying with the legal requirements for the protection of the personal rights of the inhabitants of the City of Buenos Aires,” a statement said.
13. Nikkei Stock Index Tumbles In Morning On U.S. Recession Fears – Kyodo
Japan’s Nikkei stock index briefly slid over 2,000 points Friday morning to a six-month low in a global market rout stirred by concerns over a recession in the United States after weaker-than-expected economic data.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 1,864.48 points, or 4.89 percent, to 36,261.85 on Thursday after hitting its lowest level since Feb. 7 on an intraday basis. The broader Topix index was down 126.18 points, or 4.67 percent, at 2,577.51.
14. How Apple’s Vision Pro is helping this ALS patient to perform simple tasks – ABC
An American man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has become the first patient in the world to use an Apple Vision Pro via an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI).
This means the patient, a 64-year-old man named Mark from western Pennsylvania, is able to use the device using his thoughts rather than using hand or voice commands. Mark is not giving his last name to preserve his privacy.
15. Sticking To An Exercise Program: 25 Tips To Achieve Exercise Success – ACE
As a class project, the 64 students in the Introduction to Exercise Science class at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, scoured research articles and internet pages and selected 25 highly useful tips for achieving exercise success.
These tips help target a person’s self-efficacy to adopt an exercise program and avoid dropping out. As you read through this list, identify those strategies that resonate with you and fit best with your lifestyle, then incorporate those that will make the biggest impact.
16. How Dogs Help Their Owners Become Healthier – Talkers Research
New research suggests that getting a dog might be one of the best things you can do for your health.
A poll of 2,000 dog owners revealed that while 39% of Americans reported their emotional health is most improved by their dog, mental (27%) and physical health (25%) didn’t fall far behind.
Canine counterparts most improve mental and emotional well-being by comforting their owners when they are sad (69%) and helping them through stressful times (60%).
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
