KABUL: With a messy withdrawal from US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban regime looks for China for a major investment in the next six months in a problematic country, according to media reports.
Earlier last week, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid stated that the “desire” group to join the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC).
Quoting the sources, Nikkei Asia reported that China had given birth to the Taliban since 2018 about the possibility of projects in Afghanistan.
“There is a verbal agreement between Beijing and Taliban about investment,” said Nikkei Asia quoted the source.
Sources added, “As the Taliban government gets global recognition, China will begin to build infrastructure projects in Afghanistan which is hit by war.” On Wednesday, the virtual meeting of neighboring Afghanistan foreign ministers – China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan – organized by Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
During the meeting, China promised an emergency assistance of $ 31 million to Afghanistan, including grains, winter equipment, vaccines, and medicines.
“What China can do now is keeping the contacts needed with the Taliban in the field of normal economic activities and the exchange of people-to-people,” said Chinese media.
Andrew Small, a senior Trans-Atlantic counterpart with the Asian program in the Fund of Marshall Germany, believes the Taliban direct investment request gives China Leverage.
“Beijing will be happy to dangle the appointment and engage in talks on the BRI and CPEC extensions, but will not move forward with anything on the ground until they are sure of political and security conditions,” the childhood Nikkei Asia said.
CPEC is part of the most ambitious Chinese belt and road project, which aims to renew the country’s historic trade route in Southeast Asian coastal countries.
In 2015, China announced the ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor’ (CPEC) project which was worth $ 46 billion.
With CPEC, Beijing aims to expand its influence in Pakistan and in Central and South Asia to fight the influence of the United States.
CPEC will connect the South Gwadar Port of Pakistan (626 kilometers west of Karachi) in Balochistan in the Arab Sea to the West China Xinjiang region.
It also includes plans to make road, train and oil links to increase connectivity between China and the Middle East.