KABUL (SW) – On the heels of relatively good relations between the Islamic Emirate and China, the two governments have recently been working to further improve their trade and economic ties, officials said.
Officials at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate emphasize that over the past three years, the country’s economic relations with China have been improving, stating that Afghanistan’s trade with China in the first nine months of this year (from January to the end of September) amounted to $548 million, with the majority of this figure representing Afghanistan’s imports from China.
“Trade between China and Afghanistan during the first nine months of the current year amounted to $548 million, of which $12 million was exports and the remaining $536 million was imports,” Akhundzada Abdul Salam Javad, spokesperson for the ministry told Salam Watandar.
He also expressed hope that with the removal of tariffs on at least 97 commercial goods by China, economic and trade relations between Kabul and Beijing will see significant improvements in the coming years.
However, officials at the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment also point to challenges such as the lack of proper export routes, which have hindered trade between Afghanistan and China in recent years, and emphasize that current relations between Kabul and Beijing could provide more economic opportunities.
Khan Jan Alokozai, a member of the Board of Directors of the chamber, said: “China is a good economic partner for us; Chinese goods are also affordable; trade with China is currently good, although at one point we had nearly two billion dollars in trade with China, but in recent years, this figure has even dropped below one billion dollars per year.”
Experts, considering China’s economic position in international trade, say that closer economic ties with China are beneficial for Afghanistan.
Experts believe that China’s economic, political, and security interests have prompted the country to engage more in economic interaction with Afghanistan, and they suggest that Afghanistan should take advantage of this Chinese approach to improve its own economic situation.
Mujadaduddin Khurasani, an analyst on Chinese affairs, said: “China is also striving to strengthen its economic relations with Afghanistan and merge Afghanistan’s economy with its own, and through this, it aims to control both political games and security concerns.”
Abdul Nasir Rashtia, an expert on economic affairs, also stated: “By taking advantage of this opportunity, we should export our goods to China and, on the other hand, import goods, especially machinery and technology, so that we can make good use of them within the country.”
Over the past three years, the use of the Wakhan Corridor, which is considered important for the growth of trade with China, has not yet been implemented, despite numerous promises and efforts to utilize this route.
