Taliban keeps China on tenterhooks over lithium mining contracts in Afghanistan

through Pakistan.

During its 20-year stay in Afghanistan, the US government had said that the country is estimated to hold at least $1 trillion worth of lithium which could help pull out the country from its economic mess. For the Taliban, which is still trying to establish an effective government in the country in the face of global opposition and frozen bank accounts, China seems to give hope.

According to Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, nuclear energy has never been part of Australia's energy mix due to its abundance of renewable energy sources. Bowen emphasized that nuclear energy poses various issues from Australia's perspective, including high costs, generation of large amounts of waste, and its inflexibility as an energy source. Instead of turning to nuclear energy or coal, Australia is focused on reducing reliance on coal and increasing dependence on gas-fired power stations, which offer more flexibility. The country has been shutting down its older coal plants and aims

Australia's renewable energy sector has made significant progress, with renewable energy accounting for 35.9% of total electric generation in 2022. The country's push towards renewables has reduced coal demand and increased gas production.

To achieve its net-zero goals, Australia needs more investments in different sectors, and Bowen emphasized the importance of individual sector plans. He also highlighted the support and engagement from Australian businesses and international investors in achieving climate goals.

Looking ahead to the COP28 climate summit, Australia aims to work with countries of goodwill to achieve significant progress and a positive outcome in addressing climate change.

State Enforcement Bureau set up to curb illegal mining in Haryana

Picture Credits: IANS

The Haryana government has set up the State Enforcement Bureau (SEB) to stop illegal mining, liquor smuggling, electricity, and water theft, and for removal of encroachments on government properties, an official said on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner, Gurugram, Nishant Kumar said that at present, eight police stations are functioning across Haryana under the SEB to deal with illegal mining, electricity theft, water theft, and liquor smuggling, action in case of encroachments on government properties, illegal colonies etc. Related cases in Gurugram and Nuh will be registered in a police station located in Sushant Lok Phase-1, he said, while presiding over the meeting of the District Level Task Force Committee of the Mining Department here. He has also given instructions to set up special monitoring teams to strictly deal with illegal mining activities in the district. These special teams will monitor the vehicles involved in illegal mining activities and ensure departmental action against offenders as per prescribed rules. These teams will be monitoring the vehicles involved in illegal mining activities in the Farukhnagar, Bhondsi, Sohna, Panchgaon, and Pataudi.

The frenzied exit of US troops in 2021 brought the Chinese rushing in to fill the vaccum in Afghanistan. The Chinese government and businessmen were keen to extract lithium, which has taken a place of pride among minerals for its rising use in electric vehiclesSince then China has made progress with the Taliban government in signing business deals, at least in concluding a pact to extract oil from the Amu

Darya basin in northern Afghanistan. Beijing and its businessmen have also offered big deals to the Taliban to extract lithium but the Taliban is sitting on those offers at the moment, says Kabul Now.

After taking over the reins of the country, one of the important decisions by the Taliban was to stop the mining and the export of lithium. In recent months it even arrested a Chinese national for smuggling lithium ore to China

The communist country is heavily invested in the conflict-torn nation in partnership with allweather ally Pakistan.

Recently, The Washington Post reported that Afghanistan – called ‘the Saudi Arabia of lithium’ by the US, is being courted by Chinese nationals who have been trekking the mountain ranges of the country looking for lithium, even in areas known to be dangerous for foreigners. The interest in Afghan lithium among the Chinese has evoked imagery of the 19th century gold rush. However, the Taliban government said that it was not in a rush to give away lithium contracts to China. Arab News quoted Hamayoon Afghan, spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, as saying: "We are not in a hurry for the lithium contract, we will not take hurried steps and action in this regard. We are not obliged to give this contract only to China."

China has been courting the Taliban with various offers. These include extending the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, which recently completed 10 years in neighbouring Pakistan. In a trilateral summit in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, the three nations had resolved to extend trade and investment besides curbing terror groups.With the US gone and the Taliban trying to reduce violence by curbing the activities of hostile groups, Beijing is once again making a determined effort at extracting Afghanistan’s rare earth reserves. Lithium is equated with gold and oil for its use in batteries as well as electric gadgets. With the world in a rush to switch over from fossil fuels and avoid the wrath of a changing climate, there is a mad rush to mine the rare mineral. China is a frontrunner in the Afghan lithium sweepstakes even as the West continues to figure out how to deal with the Taliban.