China’s Copper Gamble In Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan Gathers Pace After 17 Years

Seventeen years after setting its sights on one of the world’s largest untapped copper reserves, a Chinese state-owned firm is finally making progress in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The Mes Aynak mine in Logar province, linked to a 2008 agreement with China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC), is nearing operational readiness. A long-stalled access road is almost complete, and the Taliban have backed a shift to underground mining to protect the site’s ancient Buddhist ruins.

MCC says it has already invested over $430 million, with total project costs now estimated at $5 billion. The Taliban view the project as a flagship for attracting foreign investment and boosting economic self-sufficiency. For China, it fits into a wider push to secure supplies of copper, a metal critical to electric vehicles, infrastructure, and defence manufacturing.

The Mes Aynak deposit is believed to hold over 11 million tonnes of copper. As global demand surges, China, the world’s largest copper consumer, is deepening its footprint in mineral-rich but politically fragile regions.

For India, the project reflects Beijing’s expanding economic presence across the region, one that increasingly relies on commerce, not coercion.