Taliban Seeks Mining Cooperation With South Korea, China Upset

Afghanistan's newly ensconced Taliban regime has been looking to China for major economic support, but the Taliban's lithium-mining invitation to South Korea has displeased the Chinese Communist Party.

To keep Beijing happy, the Taliban offered it copper mining rights.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Aug. 23, the Taliban suggested that its newly established government seeks to develop strong ties with South Korea and enable economic exchanges.

This statement from the Taliban dissatisfied the CCP. NetEase News called the Taliban's statement an "Act of bad faith," suggesting that it "Showed goodwill to China on the surface but is secretly handing its mineral deposits over to South Korea."

After the Taliban invited South Korea to mine the lithium deposits, the Chinese state-owned media immediately called it a "Treacherous" move, indicating that there may already be an agreement between the CCP and the Taliban.

Taliban Handing Copper Mining Rights to the CCP. On Sept. 8, Global Times, a Chinese state-owned newspaper, reported that the Taliban was preparing to give the CCP its copper mining rights.

"Gangs have no trust in one another; they are always on guard against the other. The Taliban is afraid of the CCP's aggression onto its territories and resources, so it kept a hidden hand, playing a game of balance. At the same time, the CCP is worried that the Taliban might betray it by supporting Xinjiang Uyghurs. The Taliban and the CCP differ in their religious beliefs. As neighboring countries, they have both conflicts and interests," Yang said.
 

https://www.theepochtimes.com/taliban-seeks-mining-cooperation-with-south-korea-china-upset_3999126.html