The Taliban government’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum claims that the Chinese firm Gochin is willing to spend $10 billion investing in Afghanistan’s lithium reserves.
Shahabuddin Delawar, the group’s Minister for Mine and Petroleum, reportedly met with Gochin representatives in Kabul. The ministry estimated that 1.2 million people would be employed as a direct and indirect result of the Chinese investment.
Gochin has promised that as part of the investment, it will repair Salang Pass in seven months, dig out another tunnel, and refine the mined lithium in Afghanistan.
Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co. (CAPEIC) signed a $540 million contract in January 2023 to begin oil extraction in the Amu Darya basin in northern Afghanistan.
Bloomberg reports that Chinese mining firms have long coveted access to Afghanistan’s massive lithium deposits, which are worth an estimated $1 trillion.
