Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that China can invest in the country for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Both Chinese investment and employees will be protected.
Taliban fighters (AFPj)
The Taliban have welcomed the ‘Dragon’, eyeing the trillion dollar mineral wealth of Afghanistan. The Taliban have described China as their ‘friend’. The Taliban is also keen to talk to Beijing about Chinese investments as soon as possible to rebuild war-torn Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that his organization now controls 85 percent of the country’s territory. Shaheen while supporting China on Uyghur Muslims said that we will not give shelter to anti-China Uyghur fighters in our country.
Suhail Shaheen said that the Taliban guarantees to protect both Chinese investments and employees if Chinese workers return to work in Afghanistan. Speaking to ‘This Week’, Shaheen said that the Taliban welcomes China to Afghanistan. If they want to invest in the country, we will ensure their safety. The safety of Chinese investments and their employees is very important to us. A Taliban spokesman said that the Taliban will no longer give refuge to China’s Uyghur Muslim separatist fighters in their country.
Taliban rapidly occupying the northern part of the country
Earlier, many Uyghur fighters had come to Afghanistan to seek refuge. Suhail claimed that the Taliban would also work to prevent al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization from operating from Afghan soil. The statement by a Taliban spokesman comes at a time when Taliban fighters are moving rapidly into the country’s northern region in the backdrop of the withdrawal of US troops. US intelligence agencies have reported that the Afghan government in Kabul could fall within 6 months of the withdrawal of US troops and the Taliban could take power in Afghanistan after nearly 20 years.
Large reserves of mineral wealth are present in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has the world’s largest reserves of copper, coal, iron, gas, cobalt, mercury, gold, lithium and thorium. Their total value is estimated to be around one trillion dollars. In 2011, the Chinese company won a $400 million contract for three oil fields. China has also acquired the right to excavate copper in Logar province. It is only 40 km away from Kabul. China’s eyes had been on Afghanistan’s mineral wealth for a long time. In such a situation, the call of Taliban is like a dish on a plate for China.
Also read: Have you seen ‘world’s smallest cow’? Queen became a star in Bangladesh, thousands of people came to take selfie amid lockdown
.