Can the Belt and Road Initiative Succeed in Afghanistan?
May 31st, 2023
Via The Jamestown Foundation, commentary on the potential for China’s BRI to succeed in Afghanistan: At a trilateral meeting in Islamabad on May 9, the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan and reaffirmed their support for multilateral infrastructure projects already underway, including the Central […]
Read more »China’s BRI Adding Afghanistan?
May 16th, 2023
Via Al Arabiya, a report that China may extend BRI funding to Afghanistan for infrastructure projects: The Taliban agreed with China and Pakistan to extend the Belt and Road Initiative to Afghanistan, potentially drawing in billions of dollars to fund infrastructure projects in the sanctions-hit country. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Pakistani counterpart […]
Read more »Taliban In ‘No Hurry’ To Agree $10B Lithium Deal With China
May 2nd, 2023
Via The Frontier Post, a report on Afghanistan’s response to China’s interest in its lithium: The Taliban said on Monday they were not in a hurry to give China access to Afghanistan’s lithium reserves, despite an offer to pay for access to the rich deposits of the metal. Afghanistan has abundant mineral riches, which also […]
Read more »Turkmenistan Begins Exporting Gas To Pakistan Via Afghanistan By Truck
April 30th, 2023
Via Afghanistan’s ATN News, a TAPI’ed thatTurkmenistan has begun exporting gas to Pakistan via Afghanistan: Local authorities in Kandahar province say an international company has officially started exporting natural gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan through Afghanistan. The Chamber of Commerce and Investment says that the route overland through Afghanistan is a lot shorter than the […]
Read more »China’s Got Afghan Fever, Again
April 30th, 2023
Courtesy of Foreign Policy, a look at China’s renewed interest in Afghanistan’s mineral riches: China, once again, seems to be mucking about in Afghanistan’s mineral-rich playground. The latest move is a maybe, could-be deal worth billions to tap Afghanistan’s rich veins of lithium, the key input for the energy transition that powers everything from laptops […]
Read more »Russia Returns To The Graveyard of Empires, Economically
April 23rd, 2023
Via the Asia Times, a look at Russia’s economic re-engagement with Afghanistan: Even as Russia struggles to achieve military and political success in Ukraine, its leaders have turned their attention to another regional objective: restarting business in the “graveyard of empires.” Six months ago, Moscow inked a deal with the Taliban to supply gasoline, oil […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.