Russia Tells U.S. to Help Rebuild Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu says the U.S. should pay for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
minerals
China Pours Money into Africa as Domestic Economy Sputters
Beijing’s three-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) concluded on Friday with more pledges of funding for Africa, even though China’s sputtering economy may be hard-pressed to meet those commitments.
China Sets Record-High Quota for Rare-Earth Mining
The Chinese government issued record-high mining quotas for rare earth minerals this week, reaching a new high of 270,000 tons that exceeds 2023’s total by 5.88 percent.
Three Years After Biden Handed Them Afghanistan, Taliban More Secure Than Ever
The Taliban on Wednesday celebrated the three-year anniversary of the disastrous Biden-Harris withdrawal that gave them power in Afghanistan, more secure in power than ever despite constant complaints from the international community about their appalling human rights offenses.
DR Congo Accuses Apple of Using Illegally Exported ‘Blood Minerals’
The Congo has sent Apple a cease-and-desist order threatening legal action unless the tech giant stops using allegedly illegally exported minerals.
Report: U.S. Must Improve Ties with African Nations to Reduce Dependency on China for Minerals
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a think tank based in Washington, DC. issued a report on Monday that advised the U.S. to develop stronger trade relationships with African countries in order to become less dependent on Communist China for vital minerals.
Brazil Begins ‘Defensive Actions’ on Border over Fears of Venezuela Invasion of Guyana
One of the world’s more overlooked simmering conflicts came to a boil on Wednesday, as Brazil announced “intensified defensive actions” — in other words, massing troops and armor — along its northern border to repel a possible invasion of Guyana by Venezuela.
Chinese Exports to U.S. from Uyghur Slave Region Nearly Triple Year-on-Year
Chinese customs data reviewed by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Tuesday showed exports from the Xinjiang region to the United States nearly tripled year-on-year in September 2022, despite tougher scrutiny for forced labor imposed by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).
Rwanda Sentences Chinese Man to 20 Years in Prison for Whipping Local Workers
A court in western Rwanda sentenced a Chinese national named Sun Shujun to 20 years in prison in recent days after finding him guilty of torturing at least two Rwandan miners in August 2021, Rwanda’s the New Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.
China Limits Magnesium Production, Causing Supply Chain Constraints
China, the world’s top producer of magnesium, has severely limited production of the metal hardener — used across the aluminum industries — since September, throwing global supply chains into disarray and threatening to further disrupt worldwide trade through 2022.
China: Poor Virus Handling Obstructs Electric Vehicle Manufacturing
Two cobalt salt plants in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang halted production on December 10 in response to local Chinese coronavirus “flare-ups,” the Global Times reported Thursday, noting the labor suspensions threaten to cause a spike in the prices of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, which rely on cobalt as a key component.
Taliban Boasts China Is Ready to Invest Billions in Afghanistan
Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban deputy minister of Information and Culture, boasted in an interview with Voice of America News (VOA) on Thursday that China is ready to pour billions of dollars into Afghanistan, even as the rest of the world attempts to isolate the extremist regime.
China Says Taliban Giving State Companies Special Treatment
China’s state-run Global Times boasted on Tuesday that Chinese state enterprises in Afghanistan are enjoying special treatment from the Taliban, which is taking steps to “stabilize the situation and pursue international recognition.”
China Admits Taliban Ties Aimed at Getting Afghanistan’s $3 Trillion in Rare Earths
In the course of hectoring the United States for its “bungled and embarrassing withdraw from Afghanistan” on Thursday, China’s state-run Global Times admitted Beijing has a rapacious interest in Afghanistan’s vast rare-earths mineral resources, and snarled it was none of America’s business if China makes deals with the Taliban to get what it wants.
Chinese Firms Prepare to Cash In on Afghanistan
China’s state-run Global Times on Tuesday reported Chinese corporations are excited by the business opportunities in Afghanistan, once the Taliban “stabilizes” its conquered land and eliminates the “uncertainty” holding China’s ambitions in check.
Waltz: Afghanistan Withdrawal Hands Control of Resources That Power Green Economies to China
On Tuesday’s broadcast of Fox News Radio’s “Brian Kilmeade Show,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) stated that America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan will result in large stores of rare earth minerals and critical minerals “that are going to power the electronics, the
Venezuela Ships Minerals to Iran After Tehran Supplies Local Supermarket
The Maduro regime in Venezuela sent a cargo of minerals to Iran this month after Tehran provided supplies for a new Persian supermarket in the failed South American country, Iranian state media reported Thursday.
Report: Two-Thirds of Nigeria’s 2017 Mineral Exports Went to China
A report published by the Nigerian branch of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) on Monday found that 68 percent of the minerals exported by Nigeria in 2017 were sent to China.
Interior Appoints Champion of Giving Americans Access to Public Lands; Environmentalists Outraged
Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced this week that William Perry Pendley will be acting director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a move ranchers and others in the west where the majority of federal land exists see as a positive development.
