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With hillsides rich in lithium, is Afghanistan the new Saudi Arabia?

Chinese prospectors have arrived in rural northwest Afghanistan in a kind of new gold rush as they try to corner the market on lithium for electric car batteries. The Taliban stands to profit in partnership with China while the U.S. — after its 20-year military operation in Afghanistan — is not part of the picture.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong talks with Washington Post correspondent Gerry Shih.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.