BEIJING: China is planning an increased economic role in Afghanistan through its Silk Road initiative and through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), analysts from the Chinese establishment and independent experts have said.
China’s Silk Road economic schemes also target Afghanistan, commented Andrew Small, a transatlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund’s Asia program, in a note published Sept. 1.
“Despite speculation that these might be imperiled by China’s current economic frailty, this multi-trillion-dollar bonanza for Chinese industry is, if anything, only rendered more important.”
The Silk Road, the Silk Belt, and the Maritime Silk Road initiatives are an attempt by China to restart the ancient trade route that stretched from Hungary to Indonesia.
According to auditor PricewaterhouseCooper’s, more than $250 billion worth of projects – from railways to power plants – have been contracted since the “One Belt, One Road” initiative was announced in 2013.
China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said in an Aug. 14 statement that China was “ready to cooperate with all parties and play an extensive and constructive role in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.”
