China wins major Afghan project

[genmirajborgza786]

China wins major Afghan project
By Ian MacWilliam
BBC News

A Chinese mining company has won a tender to develop one of the world's largest copper mines in Afghanistan.
The state-owned China Metallurgical Group says it will invest nearly $3bn in the mine at Aynak in the province of Logar, south of Kabul.

Officials say it will be the largest foreign investment in Afghan history and will employ 10,000 people.

When construction is complete the company will pay the Afghan government $400m a year.

'World-class'

The Afghan government wants to attract foreign companies to make mining a key sector of an economy that is on a slow recovery after three decades of war.

The Aynak copper deposits in Logar province were first explored by Soviet geologists in the 1970s. But then the Soviet invasion of 1979 and years of warfare put an end to plans to develop them.

Officials say the area contains an estimated 13 million tonnes of copper, making it a world-class site.

It is also in a relatively safe area, not far from the capital.

The $3bn that the China Metallurgical Group is to invest in Aynak compares with a total of $4bn which the Afghan government says foreign companies have invested in the country since the overthrow of the Taleban six years ago.

Once it goes into operation in five years' time, the mine will provide hundreds of millions of dollars of much-needed revenue for the cash-starved Afghan government.

It will also provide thousands of jobs in a land where unemployment is one of the most pressing problems.

Kabul hopes to attract more foreign mining firms.

The Aynak tender was hotly contested by companies from Canada, Australia and Russia, as well as China.

Experts say Afghanistan's mountains are rich in minerals, which could become a significant base for the revival of the country's shattered economy.

Apart from copper, there is coal, iron, gas and oil.

There is also a sparkling assortment of gemstones - emeralds, tourmalines and garnets, and the lapis lazuli mines which provided jewelry for the Egyptian pharoahs three thousand years ago.

Story from BBC NEWS:
BBC NEWS | South Asia | China wins major Afghan project

Published: 2007/11/20 15:52:37 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[PakistaniPatriot]

Now why don't we give a contract to some Chinese company to start mining in Balochistan. There is a lot of potential there. The economy can be sustained by the gold and copper deposits there. By the way has there been any mining in Balochistan. I might not know about it so can anyone update me.

 

[yarmook]

well done strategic move by Chinese, they are mastering the grand game by the time. Soon Afghanistan will be in there grip too!!!!

3billion $ investment is not merely an investment it is the part of grandstrategy to play. Its impressive indeed!!!!

If anyone think am thats ok!!!! its the same very grandstrategy am talking about to control warm waters. Hope you get it!!!!

 

[ejaz007]

A Chinese mining company is working in Balochistan developing a copper/gold mine. I am not sure but I think it’s the same company.

 

[IceCold]

If china ables to get major contracts within afghanistan, it would bring afghanistan into chinese nexus, which will also be beneficial for us. Chinese presence in afghanistan in anyform can prevent the afghan government from playing into the indian hands against pakistan.

 

[gpit]

This news implies multi-fold significances:

1) As Afghanistan is nominally under NATO control, or rather, US control, this movement could mean that China has been further confirmed by Westerner as a “stake holder” of Western stakes, and Chinese voice will be weighted more.

2) The existence of Western forces in Afghanistan has somewhat been considered a threat to wild west of China. China’s participation in the country will assure some degree of its sense of safety.

3) Geo-politically, as a close ally to China and immediate neighbor (geologically and culturally) of Afghanistan, Pakistan has the potential to further extend its political influence and economical interest in the region as well.

 

[gpit]

Bill Gertz, one of the principle anti-China propagandists, recently lamented this event in "The Washington Times", saying that US and NATO are "fighting for China".

In addition, doesn't his call for picking "U.S. companies or those from allied countries" to develop the resources help to reveal the long-standing suspicion that US+NATO’s occupation of these countries is mainly resources oriented?


Inside the Ring
Bill Gertz
November 23, 2007

Fighting for China

Pentagon officials are upset and worried that the Bush administration's pro-business policies toward communist China are undermining morale among troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The latest outrage was the disclosure this week that a Chinese state-run mining company won a contract from the Afghan government to develop a large copper mine. The China Metallurgical Group is expected to invest about $3 billion in the Aynak mine, in Logar province south of Kabul.

"China is getting a free ride while the U.S. and our NATO allies are fighting and dying for the Afghan people and their democratic government," one official said. "The PRC has been credibly accused of bribery to [construct] the fiber optic ring around Kabul, and now they are positioned to exploit Afghan natural resources with nasty and environmentally damaging mining operations."

Mining companies from Canada and Australia, whose troops are in Afghanistan, also bid for the copper mining rights.

The question asked by Pentagon and military officials is: Why not press the new governments in Kabul and Baghdad to pick U.S. companies or those from allied countries?

The answer, the officials said, is that the pro-China policies are the work of State Department officials who apparently prefer to see Chinese companies doing business in Iraq and Afghanistan over U.S. or allied firms.

Officials suspect that in addition to getting access to copper, the Chinese want the oil and gas reserves in the resource-rich Afghan mountains, since China has almost no reserves of those resources and is heavily dependent on Middle Eastern energy supplies.

The Chinese copper concession follows recent intelligence reports that China is covertly shipping arms to insurgents and terrorists in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and hiding the transfers by supplying rifles, grenades and rockets that have been altered to make tracing their origin difficult.

Chinese companies also were allowed to win contracts in Iraq to develop oil fields and to build electric power stations. Beijing also is supplying weapons to the Iraqi police.

...


Inside the Ring*-*-*The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

 

[Sino-PakFriendship]

Now why don't we give a contract to some Chinese company to start mining in Balochistan. There is a lot of potential there. The economy can be sustained by the gold and copper deposits there. By the way has there been any mining in Balochistan. I might not know about it so can anyone update me.

There is some difficulty for China to help Pakistan to develop Balochistan area.

Balochistan has some Sectionalism even Independence movement, like Xinjiang (Chinese Turkistan) and Tibet of China.

Balochistan Libration Army, highly supported by USA, usually attacks Pakistan Army and Chinese Engineers.

 

[mujahideen]

There is some difficulty for China to help Pakistan to develop Balochistan area.

Balochistan has some Sectionalism even Independence movement, like Xinjiang (Chinese Turkistan) and Tibet of China.

Balochistan Libration Army, highly supported by USA, usually attacks Pakistan Army and Chinese Engineers.

I would like to assure you these elements will be dealt with. And besides the independence movement has kind of died down a bit after some of their senior leader were killed.

 

[salman nedian]

There is no separation movement in Baluchistan b/c you can only say it a separation movement if it has people’s support so far it is not the case.

All happening is there are few tribal leaders who are serving the cause of US, India and Israel and they will be eliminated soon.

But we need China’s full support on this false propaganda b/c we also believe on one China.