The author might as well be talking about the asteroid 16 Psyche.
They need the supply chain, transportation, electrical, and financial systems necessary to exploit those resources, none of which Afghanistan has.
They need the supply chain, transportation, electrical, and financial systems necessary to exploit those resources, none of which Afghanistan has.
I quote from a humanitarian report[0]:
"""
Afghanistan‟s economy from the 1950s onward became closely intertwined with the Cold War. From 1953 to 1963 Afghanistan‟s Prime Minister Mohammed Daoud Khan had solicited military and economic assistance from both the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), believing that, without rapid growth, Afghanistan would become severely politically fragmented. Often dubbed the “economic Korea”, the country received 50% of its foreign aid from the Soviet Union between 1950 and 1970 and 30% from the United States during that same time span.3 In the early 1960s Soviet investment targeted immense infrastructure projects including the 1964 completion of the Salang tunnel which greatly reduced travel time between northern Afghanistan and Kabul. By 1967 the country had 1,200 miles of paved roads and a 25% increase in power output.
"""
[0] https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/AB...
[1]: https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-bills-its-belt-and-road-a...
It's so opaque that you know who is funding, building, etc? Right. Also, who else is going to bring the financing? And as for infrastructure, hasn't china shown to be the best at it?
> Foreign companies are often largely left out.
So what? It's a china led project which the west is opposed. What do you expect?
> The people benefit very little as the resources and value extracted return to China.
That's true for everybody. The people benefit very little. Do you think "the people" benefited from Canada sending timber to the US or Australia selling iron ore to china for decades?
Why don't we offer a better deal? So using your logic, afghanistan shouldn't trade with anyone?
If china's deal is that awful and afghanistan is choosing them, doesn't it really show how even more for awful everyone else is?
Also, I wouldn't take anything by wsj, rupert murdoch owned and controlled propaganda outlet, seriously when it comes to china as his propaganda empire is peddling the most anti-china propaganda.
Do you think "the west" cares about afghanistan, africa or any nation involved in BRI? Do you think we are mad because china is ripping them off or that china is actually giving these BRI nations a good deal? My guess is the latter. Or we worried that china is ripping off afghanistan, a nation we invaded and brutalized for decades? Or are you worried because china is giving them the best deal? Be honest. Given how evil we've been for a few centuries now, which do you think?
Yeah, sure, they're building the infrastructure to strip the country bare, but the West hasn't been much better. Funding wars and bribing officials to keep a country poor and disorganized in order to plunder it has been the modus operandi for decades. Before then it was straight slavery.
If the Taliban make billions and build modern cities, I bet you anything that large Western countries will sell their good there. Apple, Mc Donalds, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Yves Saint Laurent, Rolex, VW, Ferrari, and so many more will be trying to conquer the market.
It's just business.
Although I wonder why they weren't already exploiting the resources? Lacking investments due to security risks?