Knowing how state and non-state actors pursue their strategic interests abroad is critical to building a holistic intelligence picture.

By analyzing publicly and commercially available information Janes specialist team of experienced and expert analysts delivers data and insight that enables you to understand China’s efforts to project power, control and influence around the world.

Afghanistan has long been known as a potentially rich source of mineral deposits and rare earth metals including reserves of lithium and copper worth a reported $1 trillion (2010 U.S. government estimate).

These are all critical materials in the supply chain of new and emerging technologies that are central to China’s economic, environmental, and industrial development plans.

Its strategic location in central Asia near major trade routes and economic and transportation corridors has only added to China’s interest in the country.

Over the past two decades, Chinese state-owned and state-controlled enterprises have explored a variety of engagements with Afghanistan. However, security and infrastructure challenges have been persistent obstacles to many of the projects that China has initiated over this period.

Pakistan has been both a diplomatic conduit and a partner in China’s efforts to realize the economic potential of Afghanistan. The country has played a significant role in the advancement of China’s Belt and Road initiative, with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and its ultimate end point, the potentially dual-use Port of Gwadar, serving as high profile examples of infrastructure that China says it can provide to its partners.  The strategic benefits these projects offer Beijing demonstrate the importance of tracking and contextualizing China’s behavior in the economic and financial domain.

With the departure of NATO coalition forces in 2021 a diplomatic and foreign investment void has been left in the region. A void China is keen to fill with a number of initiatives reignited and new deals signed to exploit the assets of the region.

However, Afghanistan continues to be volatile and the Taliban regime unpredictable which is likely to make China wary of increasing their footprint in the region in the short to medium term until security challenges are stabilized.

The rewards for China longer term if they balance their investments with security in the region are potentially huge. The potential to increase its dominant market share of rare earth metals, while strengthening its economic and political ties with Pakistan would be of significant benefit to China’s existing ambitions in this part of the world.

Janes delivers assured open-source data and analysis on geoeconomic statecraft to increase your situational awareness including granular, transactional information related to individual Chinese and Russian business deals and analysis that contextualises our in-depth transactional information.

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