Tuesday, March 23, 2010

the china factor: Karzai challenges US-Pak gameplan

mar 23rd, 2010

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:


Karzai Visits China With Ministers, Natural Gas Development Plans

March 23, 2010

KABUL -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai is traveling to Beijing today with a government delegation that includes the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, mines, and investment.

RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reports that Afghanistan's minister of mines is thought to be taking information about the development of 11 natural gas sites in the northwestern Afghan provinces of Jowzjan and Maimana. An international tender is now under way to determine who will win rights to develop those natural gas fields.

China already is developing natural gas fields nearby in eastern Turkmenistan. In December, a major pipeline was opened near the Afghan border that links western China to Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The Afghan president's office says Karzai is expected to sign agreements with Beijing on increasing trade with China. That includes an accord that would eliminate custom tarrifs between the two countries. Agreements also are expected that would boost Chinese help in the fields of communication, the economy, education, and health care.


1 comment:

sansk said...

maybe now USA would recognise a unique Afghan trait, that of using superpowers, and then ditching them. Loyalty in that nation is measured in hours (in time domain) and in the amount of opium you can offer them in common currency.
Anyway, Karzai is doing what he should be doing.
1. He is corrupt (hence chosen by USA to lead a puppet government) and his corruption is now atinking the high heavens after the election drama (usual by standards of islamic nations like Iran).
2. His same quality is in demand from the Chinease customers.
3. Sometime in future it would be Russia or India or Pakistan.

Afghans are going to be Afghans.