Taliban Minister Sets Preconditions For Chinese Company Investing In Afghan Mines

The Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced that the Chinese MCC company, which holds a contract for the Aynak copper mine, is interested in "investing in other major mines" in Afghanistan.

Shahabuddin Delawar, the Taliban's Minister of Mines, has said that the Taliban will only agree to further investments from this company if mineral processing is conducted within Afghanistan.

On Sunday, the Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum wrote on the social media platform X that the president of the MCC company had met with Delawar in Kabul.

The Chinese company is one of the largest firms involved in the extraction and processing of copper, lead, and zinc. According to the Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, this company is particularly interested in investing in Afghanistan's major mines, especially those of copper, lead, and zinc.

Delawar, while welcoming the company's interest, informed the president of the company about the lead and zinc mines in Bamiyan, Ghor, and Kandahar.

The state-owned MCC obtained the license for the Aynak copper mine nearly two decades ago, but has not commenced extraction due to security concerns.

The Taliban members have repeatedly called for extraction at this major mining site to begin, but the Chinese company has refrained to do so and has not provided an explanation.

The Taliban's Ministry of Mines stated that during Sunday's meeting, Delawar gave "necessary directives to the MCC company to expedite activities at the Aynak copper mine”.

Taliban officials have frequently stated that security conditions have improved to facilitate foreign companies' investments in Afghanistan. However, these assurances do not appear to have convinced Chinese companies, despite their government's close relationship with the Taliban.