China announces Afghan trade and investment plans after quake

Published July 5, 2022
Ghulam Ghaws Naseri (L), the acting minister of state for disaster management and humanitarian affairs of Afghanistan and China’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Wang Yu (2R) sign documents during a joint press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 5. — AFP
Ghulam Ghaws Naseri (L), the acting minister of state for disaster management and humanitarian affairs of Afghanistan and China’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Wang Yu (2R) sign documents during a joint press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 5. — AFP

China's ambassador announced trade and investment plans for Afghanistan on Tuesday, a public endorsement for doing business in the Taliban-controlled country after an earthquake drew attention to the humanitarian consequences of Western sanctions.

At a rare press conference alongside the Taliban administration's acting minister for disaster management, Ambassador Wang Yu announced $8 million in aid for relief from the June 22 earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people.

"Besides emergency humanitarian aid, after the political changes last year and after the earthquake, we also have long-term economic reconstruction plans," he said. "The priority would be trade, followed by investment, as well as agriculture."

No country has formally recognised the Taliban, who seized power last year after the United States and its allies abruptly withdrew troops following 20 years of war.

Western countries say the sanctions, which include freezing billions of dollars in Afghan reserves, can be lifted only if the group meets conditions such as lifting restrictions on participation in public life for women and girls. Some aid agencies complained that sanctions curtailed their ability to assist after last month's earthquake.

China, which shares a remote border with Afghanistan and derives influence among its neighbours from its huge "Belt and Road" investment initiative, has consistently called for sanctions to be lifted.

The ambassador said negotiations were going on for two major mining projects, including Mes Aynak, a copper mine in southern Afghanistan that a Chinese state-owned company has rights to under an arrangement brokered with the previous Afghan government. Afghanistan's largely untapped mineral reserves include large deposits of iron ore and copper.

Taliban administration officials, including the group's supreme leader in a speech at a gathering last week, have said the country needs to become less dependent on aid and encourage business.

Speaking of Afghan reserves frozen in Western banks, Wang said: "China always thinks that money belongs to the Afghan people ... China has always called on the international community... for the release of the funds."

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...