Taliban Must Exploit Mineral Wealth to Keep Afghanistan Afloat: Global Times

The Taliban needs to attract foreign investment, including building infrastructure, to use Afghanistan's vast mineral wealth to keep the country's economic system afloat, the Global Times said in a commentary reacting to western media reports that China eyes nation's mineral resources under the excuse of helping rebuild the country. As the U.S. and the West threaten to cut off funding, if Afghanistan cannot cash in on its mineral wealth, it will turn to the drug economy, causing its neighbours to suffer, the newspaper said. A thriving mineral and mining sector lifts up ordinary Afghanis while also creating a pathway for the country to become a productive and stable regional actor, the state-owned newspaper said.