Prospects for Chinese Mining of Lithium in Afghanistan

After the United States withdrew its armed forces from Afghanistan, there was speculation that China might try to exert its influence there, both politically and economically. In terms of the economy, one sector with potential was the mining of critical minerals, and one key mineral was lithium, which is important for making electric vehicle batteries. But recent reports suggest that the likelihood of China engaging in significant mining of Afghan lithium may be small in the near term.