China was one of the first countries to grant the Taliban de facto recognition as the successor government to the American-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan that fell in 2021, and in September, China became the first country to appoint an ambassador since the takeover.
In exchange for natural resources, China builds a "New Silk Road" through these countries, providing roads, power plants, internet service, and other infrastructure.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is the flagship operation of the Belt and Road Initiative, and has spent roughly $62 billion since 2015 to improve Pakistan's transportation networks and energy projects, including a superhighway meant to link the port of Gwadar with China and bypass the Indian Ocean for China's energy needs.
Afghanistan's vast lithium deposits will become available for development by the Chinese, which will only exacerbate the chokehold China has on critical minerals necessary for the functioning of the Biden administration's various "Green energy" projects.
A standard electric vehicle's 1,000-pound battery includes 25 pounds of lithium, for example, and China possesses or processes 60% of the planet's lithium.
If China builds a port, for example, its warships get preferential treatment and it begins to leverage its investment to influence the voting patterns of the host nation at the United Nations.
China has built a permanent naval base in Djibouti, and U.S. defense officials have raised concerns that the Chinese are also looking to establish a base on the Atlantic in Equatorial Guinea.
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