The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of war opened up an opportunity for China to expand its influence and lock down access to the country¡¯s vast mineral deposits.
It hasn¡¯t worked out that way.
More than a year after U.S. troops left, Afghanistan¡¯s economy is collapsing, 19 million people are at risk of acute hunger and the investment the Taliban were counting on from Beijing hasn¡¯t arrived. Both sides blame the other.
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