Still, many Afghans suspect that not all the hoped for economic benefits from the Aynak project will materialize, and they also worry about the fate of the investment and locality after the lease expires. Chinese and Afghan officials are discussing constructing a railroad directly connecting their countries, which could increase the flow of goods even further. Despite these Afghan concerns and Chinese security worries, Chinese and other foreign investors aim to acquire additional natural resources in Afghanistan if the security situation permits.
So far, China’s development of the Aynak mine and associated infrastructure has proceeded at a slow pace following the April 2008 contract signing, presumably due to concerns about the security of the investment and safety of the Chinese nationals due to the surrounding Taliban violence.
American troops don’t protect the Aynak copper mine project directly, but US forces provide general security in Logar Province. The Afghan National Police has positioned 1,500 special recruits to guard the mine, while some 2,000 US soldiers provide general area security in Logar Province, where the mine is located, as well as security for the projected routes for the road and railway, as part of their mission of defending Afghanistan’s critical economic infrastructure. Like other foreign investors, neither Chinese companies nor China’s government will reimburse the United States for attempting to maintain a secure investment climate in Afghanistan. After the deal was signed, Taliban insurgents increased their operations in the area, prompting more than 2,000 troops from the US Army 10th Mountain Division to enter Logar in response.
All this means that while US and NATO forces protect other foreign investments and critical infrastructure from insurgent attack, China’s prominent and growing economic presence remains unaccompanied by a commitment from Beijing to send Chinese soldiers to Afghanistan to assist in the country’s defence. You’d think that this would place a considerable strain on the Sino-American relationship. So far, though, it hasn’t.
Like Afghan officials, US and NATO officials welcome any legal foreign investment in Afghanistan that generates employment for Afghans outside the narcotics or terrorism industries and that increases the resources available to its beleaguered government. ‘It can be a good thing. As a matter of fact, we encourage all of the international community to take an interest in the economic development of Afghanistan,’ says US State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid. ‘Working with our coalition partners and other interested partners, we are trying to establish a viable market economy in Afghanistan. This is one way to wean people from illicit activities and also to fight the ideology of the terrorists.’
Right now, China’s preferred outcome is a negotiated peace settlement among the Afghan government, the Afghan Taliban, and the other Afghan combatants, supported by Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries and the great powers. These international partners would agree to preserve Afghanistan’s neutrality and collectively contribute to the country’s political development and economic reconstruction. This scenario would establish a more favourable environment for Chinese investment in Afghanistan, reduce some sources of regional terrorism and narcotics trafficking, and facilitate use of Afghanistan’s territory as part of the Afghan-Pakistan-Central Asian ‘silk road’ connecting China’s trade and investment with the rest of Eurasia and Europe beyond.
Until then, China is most likely to assist the counterinsurgency campaigns in Afghanistan by investing in the country’s raw material sector and helping develop the economic infrastructure (especially transportation) to better exploit these natural resources. Since these investments will help divert Afghans away from illicit commercial activities such as opium production provide additional revenues for an Afghan government struggling to sustain its enormous security establishment, whose upkeep costs are more than the size of the annual gross domestic product, this limited Chinese contribution should still be welcomed.
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Col
Well we all know that the US never went in for the resources. The US is all too principled and ethical to attack countries or engage in war for economic gain.
So why would they demand that they get all the rights to the business deals in Afghanistan????????? It just doesn’t make sense :P
(how do I sign up to get my 50 cents?)
Sam
Thus it is about as free a ride as you can get especially of they come in as non combatants and suck all the lithium, rare earths and other minerals out of Afghanistan after the allies leave, which is why they oppose any long term stay of the US. Soon you will be buying Lithium ion batteries from the Chinese sourced from Afghanistan to power your smartphone as your soldier husband wounded in the war that kept it safe for them. Funny how that works! It’s not retarded at all.
Michael Mai
Chinese don’t believe in invading a country and using military force to cleanse an ideological issue. That is a matter of principle. So the policy of no direct or indirect support of military actions, are open and up-front.
Anyhow, I fail to see how a Chinese army can cooperate with an US led army? Lack of trusts, incompatible systems, etc… While that is an interesting thought, but it is not achievable in the near future.
The best the Chinese can help in that war is to help the nation building process. The enormous amount of risks of these long-term projects the author mentioned would have deterred any companies, except those backed by the Chinese gvtment. They were there to build those shiny projects that will justify the war, at the expenses of Chinese ordinary people’s money and life. The only fruits the Chinese will bite off are the bitter ones that left behind by the invasion army. In long term, the Chinese are the biggest loser in this.
Global Chess
All of this discussion is hollow and misdirected. PRC regional and global engagement is entirely based on internal politics or fears. PRC know that in order to maintain growth and political stability within the nation every effort must be made to expand economically. Thus, any foreign policy that might cause internal dissent and jeopardize growth will be avoided. To make statements that PRC involvement in Iraq or Afghanistan is positive or “free riding” is both parochial and analytically void. The PRC will execute foreign policy which enables internal stability and fosters continued growth. Stop applying idealism to assessing the PRC and start using pragmatism.
CAMIO
Achieving a peace agreement is always the number one preference for Chinese government. By nature Chinese are not interested in “beating” other group of people, but are intested in “gaining” concrete benefits. This is due to the Chinese culture and histroy. In Chinese culture, people beleive in “harmony brings wealth”. Therefore, when dealing with a dispute, a Chinese normally do not set his goal as completely beating the others, but rather sequence his goals according to priority, and try to achieve the goal with the highest priority first, and so on. Each disputant may achieve some goal upon settlement of the dispute.
MIKE FLYNN
and it does not hurt to have the largest army on the planet to back up their need for harmony.
Yashwant Parmar
Yet we spend more on our military…ever thought that maybe our troops in Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, and other countries in the region MIGHT worry China a little?
Sinodefender
Why would the PLA invade Afghanistan, the SCS conflicts will keep them busy. Mongols barely hanged on do their empire after they got inferior leaders, one can conquer the world on horseback but one cannot rule the world on horseback… Taking oil without compensation will only inflame the natives and lower international judgement of China. Why can’t Chinese and Americans cooperate military, they certainly did during WW2.
Varun
Afghanistan was not a war for resources but for 9/11 revenge.
I am skeptical to the claim of $1 Trillion worth of stuff under Afghan ground.
It sounds like a ploy to keep discontent in the West down as this helps calm the masses ‘coz they assume that the mission will eventually help them in some way viz a viz The Resources.
Also the Chinese investment so far is not that significant for the US to raise objection or block them.
US has no future in Afghanistan though, Its location is inherently hostile to US. People all around it don’t like the US and its not going to change in this century.
China has the edge. US can’t do anything really, those who disagree are ignorant of the situation.