On Tuesday, a high profile delegates, including President Karzai, set off for China to take part in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), where they, along with participation in the conference, would possibly hold talk with numbers of Chinese officials and entrepreneurs. The principle target would be to motivate Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in various sectors in order to fill the lack of capital in the country.
According to reports, previously Chinese investors contacted Afghan officials to discuss about investments but there is no available information in which sectors they are interested to.
Since 2001, after the engagement of international community in the country, Beijing also proportionately has increased its activities. The domestic market is riddled with Chinese goods. However, there is no authentic data at disposal to show to what extent the bilateral trade has reached but no doubt China is one of the biggest trade partners.
The annual import from China directly or Chinese goods indirectly from the rest of country go beyond tens of millions of dollars. And due to high level of poverty, cheap Chinese goods have largely dominated the local markets.
Additionally, China has made vast investment. It won the bid for extraction of copper mine in the Logar province few years ago. The business relation between the two countries has risen to a level that brought about irritation for our Western allies. As once a columnist for New York Times wrote that US fight insurgencies and make sacrifices but it is Chinese companies that ultimately do business in the country and earn profits.
In terms of politics, China has the potential to help Kabul in restoration of peace and instability. Beijing officials have already announced preparation for signing long-term strategic cooperation contract. However, the government has signed strategic cooperation contract with many Western countries, like US, UK, Germany, France, but China would be the second in Asia, after India, announcing preparation to go for it.
Moreover, China has a close relation with both Islamabad and Tehran, the two highly important neighbors that can play key role in peace and stability. Deepening relation with Beijing can indeed prove efficient to align both of our neighbors to play more responsible and positive role in the country.
Therefore, it is advisable for Afghan government to further tighten relation with China because the more it finds at stake, the more it is likely it would mount pressure on its close allies to give up their destructive efforts and to smash terror groups, active within their countries.