KABUL (Khaama Press): The acting Interior Minister of the interim government in Afghanistan, Sirajuddin Haqqani, met with Mr Wang Yu, the Chinese ambassador in Kabul, Afghanistan.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the two sides underlined the issues of mutual interest, including the tripartite conference in Islamabad.
According to Haqqani, justice is crucial in international engagement, and he praised China for taking a realistic stance.
He also pointed out that “there will not be an atmosphere of trust unless moral principles become the norm, and that having malicious intent for others is bad politics.”
“We believe in good relations. The policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is that of interaction and understanding, we have good intentions, and we expect the same from others,” Haqqani stated.
In his part, Yu said at the meeting that China supports Afghanistan and believes a free and independent environment is necessary for the country to flourish. The statement indicated that the country is presently on this path.
“We are not supporting the policies of sanctions, pressure and interference in other countries,” Yu said.
Since the takeover of the country by the de facto regime, China extended its support and initiated several investments, particularly in the mining and energy sectors.
TOLOnews adds: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) said that China and other countries are interested in investing in Afghanistan’s lithium resources.
The majority of Afghanistan’s lithium is known to be in the provinces of Kunar, Nuristan, and Helmand, according to Homayoun Afghan, the ministry’s spokesman.
“A number of countries and investors have expressed interest in the lithium business in addition to the Chinese. The Chinese even said that they are prepared to invest $10 billion,” Afghan said.
The Islamic Emirate’s cabinet will handle the process of turning over the mining contracts, a spokesperson said.
“We have large reserves of lithium worldwide. Our country is on the global list of those countries that are rich in lithium, and our lithium reserves are to a large extent in Kunar, Nuristan and Helmand provinces,” Homayoun Afghan stated.
“China is the largest market for new energy vehicles in the world. Lithium is especially important for the electric vehicle industry,” said Sieyar Qurishi, an economist.
Many new technologies use lithium, particularly in the production of batteries.