Posted on 01/29/2013 6:51:46 AM PST by darrellmaurina
In the approaching twilight of the US war in Afghanistan, China is stepping up its involvement, attracted by the country’s trillion dollar worth of minerals.
China, who has long been a bystander to the conflict in Afghanistan, could prove to be the ultimate winner in Afghanistan and that without a single shed of blood.
They have already hit the jackpot by winning the billion dollar investment project in Logar’s copper mine. Afghanistan’s lithium, the key raw material for batteries to nuclear components, is the next potential target. But, do they seem to be going forward?
Security remains a challenge to the Chinese.
“While the Chinese do not appear ready to rush into any vacuum left by the withdrawal of foreign troops, a definite shift toward a more hands-on approach to Afghanistan is under way.” ABC News
Currently the world’s second largest economy, China is hungry for resources to sustain its growth.
“If you are able to see a more or less stable situation in Afghanistan, if it becomes another relatively normal Central Asian state, China will be the natural beneficiary,” says Andrew Small, a China expert at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, an American research institute. “If you look across Central Asia, that is what has already happened. … China is the only actor who can foot the level of investment needed in Afghanistan to make it succeed and stick it out.” ABC News
Over the past decade, China’s trade has boomed with Afghanistan’s resource-rich neighbors in Central Asia. For Turkmenistan, China trade reached 21 percent of GDP in 2011, up from 1 percent five years earlier, according to an Associated Press analysis of International Monetary Fund data. The equivalent figure for Tajikistan is 32 percent of GDP, versus 12 percent in 2006. China’s trade with Afghanistan stood at a modest 1.3 percent of GDP in 2011.
Given Afghanistan’s strategic location, China would not fall behind in involving themselves in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has long been an Asian crossroad due to which superpowers have historically stepped on Afghanistan’s soil.
“It’s unquestionable that China bears the responsibility to participate in the political and economic reconstruction of Afghanistan,” he says. “A stable Afghanistan is of vital importance to (China). China can’t afford to stand aside following the U.S. troop withdrawal and in the process of political transition,” quotes ABC News a Central Asian expert at Beijing University, Wan Lian.
The Chinese government is definitely playing smart. They are showing a keener interest in improving Afghanistan’s security situation and the transition process, but they are being careful. They realize they “lack expertise in a complex political landscape that has tripped up other great powers.”
“The Chinese are ambiguous. They don’t want the Taliban to return to power and are concerned about a vacuum after 2014 that the Taliban could fill, but they also don’t like having U.S. troops in their neighborhood,” ABC News quotes Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies in Kabul, Davood Moradiyan.
Should the Chinese step into the peace process, either as a principal intermediary or through Pakistan, they could carry considerable weight.
According to Mr. Moradiyan, Afghan government has backed off from their earlier criticism that the Chinese presence in Afghanistan is for the sheer benefits it can reap from Afghanistan and not for contributing their share to security and reconstruction of the country.
I do not know the reliability of this particular news source, but I've been reading it for some time and they cover things about Afghanistan that the Western media usually don't. In this case they're summarizing media reports from ABC News and other sources, but they often do English-language summaries of articles in non-English regional media to which we otherwise would not have access.
There are quite a few Freepers with direct firsthand knowledge of Afghanistan. I'd be interested in hearing evaluations from those who may know Wadia Samadi, her Afghan Business News Portal, and whatever biases it may have. My impression is their main bias is trying to present Afghanistan is a good opportunity for foreign investment, which would be typical of third-world English-language media. I can filter out the "Chamber of Commerce boosterism." But if there is a more explicit agenda than just being pro-business, I'd like to know.
Meanwhile Obama is building windmills and solar panels. God save the Republic!
I can’t imagine any foreign entity would be welcomed by the insane muzzies, anywhere. They just want to kill everyone and destroy everything. Good luck, China.
China has always viewed itself as the predominant power in Asia. It has always resented the American presence and interference in Asiatic affairs. It views access to Afghan minerals and Iranian hydrocarbons as a fundamental right.It also views Afghanistan and Iran as markets for its export oriented industries. American “sanctions” ,military and political involvement is bitterly resented. It is no accident that China has supplied Iran with the world’s most sophisticated shore to ship missiles. American ships are at great risk patrolling the narrow confines of the Persian Gulf. If war breaks out and the US suffers serious losses, it could be the strategic game changer that China seeks.
“Afghan government has backed off from their earlier criticism that the Chinese presence in Afghanistan is for the sheer benefits it can reap from Afghanistan and not for contributing their share to security and reconstruction of the country.”
“Reconstruction” of the country??? Seems to me ‘construction’ of the country would be more appropriate given that most of the country never made it out of the Stone Age.
First,China will Genghis Khan the locals.
The Chinese will wait to see who takes over. Those people will surely need cash and guns for their security-forces, won’t they?
China will give it to them, without a lot of debate. State-run companies will then make the deals to mine in the areas they want, with a significant cut for their local afghan partners. The only foot-print will be a couple hundred Chinese mining engineers and technicians. Sure, a few will be killed or kidnapped once-in-a-while, but its a game China knows well.
What the deaths and injuries to thousands of Americans has bought.
It’s curious how 3 major forms of potential energy seem to be concentrated in that part of the world. Lithium, oil and massive amounts of sunlight.
Cool, I’d love to leave the Afghanis to the tender mercies of the PRC.
THe only problem is, I am not certain I want Pakistan and the PRC to share a border.
“What the deaths and injuries to thousands of Americans has bought.”
This observation needs to be repeated often.
Can anyone face a catastrophically wounded veteran and explain that “China can now exploit Afghan mineral resources, thanks to your sacrifice”?
I hope a lot of these wounded vets enter national politics. Their unique perspective would spell doom to any future “nation building” ideas - and would be a very positive thing for the country.
Actually, Afghanistan was doing pretty well before their civil war and the Russian invasion.
WAAAAY back then, I thought that helping the mujahadin to frustrate the Soviets was a good thing. Nowadays, I think we should have been providing the Soviets support and wishing ‘em well. Sort of like Fascism (a secular authoritarian government) would be an improvement in most Moslem countries, the same is true for Communism. Oh, well, hindsight is 20/20.
We should have done that, too. This ‘green-on-blue’ killing, or whatever they’re calling the murder of US Troops by ‘friendly muzzies’, is... can’t say it here, dammit.
When the lion has fought and, bloodied, walks away, the jackal moves in to feast.
Its what I have been saying all along, our main interest in Afghanistan is the Cooper, Oil and Lithium, not necessarily in that order.
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