New Delhi: As Taliban Inch closer to forming a government in Afghanistan, China sees opportunities to extend multi-billion dollar projects and initiative projects (BRI) to the country.
In the appearance of Over of Mutual Bonhomie, China on Friday said that Taliban leaders supported BRI and believed that projects were good for the development and prosperity in the country hit by a war.
Taliban, meanwhile, described China as their most important partner and said that Beijing was ready to invest and rebuild the country.
Strategic Gainschina on Friday said that cooperation with Afghanistan in BRI has provided real benefits and countries under the Taliban government will provide a good environment for foreign investors.
“The Afghanistan Taliban believes that BRI is good for the development and prosperity in Afghanistan and the wider region,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said media direction on Friday.
China has described the plan to extend the China-Pakistani economic corridor (CPE) of $ 60 billion under its tripartite diplomatic initiative with the inclusion of Afghanistan.
However, the plan did not see a lot of progress due to political differences between the Government of Ashraf Ghavia before in Kabul and Pakistan for the support of Islamabad to Taliban terrorists.
BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013.
It aims to connect Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Bay Region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.
India is very critical of BRI as CPEC, which is part of it, past Kashmir occupied by Pakistan.
Besides BRI, experts say China also wants to exploit Afghan-rich minerals and rarely lucrative land mines.
Rare metals, which are the main components for a number of advanced technology such as the iPhone and Hi-Tech missile guidelines, are estimated to be worth between one trillion to three trillion dollars in 2020 in Afghanistan, according to the previous Afghanistan evaluation of the government.
Taliban on Friday said there was a “rich copper mine in the country, which, thanks to the Chinese, can be operated back and modernized.
In addition, China is our pass to markets throughout the world.” Eye on Bagram Air Base? In addition to the problem with CPEC, India will be aware of the possibility that China can try to take over the Bagram air force base in Afghanistan.
Experts say this can be an effort to keep India far from Southeast Asia, where China wants to have full control.
“China tried to fill the vacuum made after US forces left the Afghanistan economically and obtained the belt and road initiative (BRI).
It will happen as soon as the Taliban need someone to manage the air base there,” Former Antil Diplomat.
Trigunayat to the IANS news agency.
Bagram Airport is the largest airport and is technically equipped with Americans saving it for its use to the end, not Kabul Airport.
Under their new partnership, China and the Taliban together can manage Bagram because China will need a safe air base when they increase economic activity in Afghanistan.
Former US Diplomat Nikki Haley has also warned recently that China can try to take over the strategic air force base.
“We need to watch China because I think you will see China moves for the Bagram air force base.
I think they are also moving in Afghanistan and trying to use Pakistan to be stronger against India.
So, we have many problems,” he said.
China has hung prospects to provide two things that need to be regulated by the Afghan Taliban: Diplomatic recognition and infrastructure and very necessary economic assistance, Brahma Chellaney, a strategic study professor at the Policy Research Center in New Delhi, told Reuters recently.
“Opportunistic Chinese will definitely exploit new opening to make a strategic breakthrough to Afghanistan rich in minerals and deepen Pakistani, Iran and Central Asian penetration,” he said.
(With input from agency)
Worry for India as Chinese eyes extension BRI in Afghanistan
