12-05-2025
‘They exploit what we have': Afghan media mogul on why China won't save Afghanistan
China, once heralded as a potential economic lifeline for post-Western Afghanistan, hasn't turned out that way according to Afghan media mogul, Saad Mohseni.
With the exit of US troops and the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government in 2021, Beijing was quick to signal interest – eyeing access to untapped rare earth minerals and regional infrastructure links through its Belt and Road Initiative. But those hopes, he says, have largely evaporated.
'It's dawned on the Taliban finally… the Chinese make a lot of promises but deliver very little,' Mohseni told Al Arabiya English's Hadley Gamble in an extended interview. 'They exploit what we have. They don't create jobs. It's all financing arrangements. Then they leave – but leave their people behind,' the founder and chief executive of the MOBY Group, told Gamble.
China's involvement in Afghanistan, according to Mohseni, mirrors what the media mogul saw in Ethiopia: 'I mean, in Ethiopia, you know, I met a whole bunch of Chinese individuals who speak fluent Amharic, you know. And a lot of them came with Chinese projects, right, and then the Chinese left them there. And they are, you know, Chinese passport holders, but essentially Ethiopian today.' Mohseni said.
'So I think in Afghanistan also, there's this realization that the Chinese are not going to be that generous. Yes, that yes, they may assist them when it comes to humanitarian assistance, but otherwise, they look at opportunities, but they be very opportunistic, and it be what's good for China, not Afghanistan.'
His comments come as the new Trump administration ramps up its efforts to counter Chinese influence globally. US officials have recently talked up rare earth prospecting talks in Greenland and Ukraine and are reportedly scouting for strategic mineral opportunities elsewhere – a sign of Washington's renewed focus on mineral security amid rising tariffs and economic tensions with Beijing.
'They exploit what we have. They don't create jobs. It's all financing arrangements. Then they leave – but leave their people behind,' he told Gamble.
The disappointment with Beijing comes at a time of deep uncertainty in the region. Mohseni did not hold back when discussing uncertainty in the country's neighbour to the south, Pakistan.
'Pakistan is… it's almost like a curse. You're damned if you turn away from it, and you're damned if you don't. But you have to remember – it's a nation of 250 million people, 120 nuclear warheads. It's facing an economic crisis it's been dealing with for many years. It's got a political crisis – with perhaps its most popular politician ever behind bars. It has an insurgency challenge – with ISIS, the TTP, and Baluchi separatists active,' he cautioned.
Mohseni's Moby Group operates five television and radio networks and dozens of digital platforms in Afghanistan, which, having launched in 2001, has operated under four successive regimes.
Reflecting on the disastrous 2021 withdrawal, which saw the Afghan government fall to the Taliban in a matter of days and the country descend into chaos under the Biden administration, he sees potential for the US to return – but only under very different terms.
'I think Biden just didn't like the region, didn't like Afghanistan, didn't like Afghans. And his plan was not thought through. They decided mid-April to leave, and they left by the end of August. It wasn't well planned, as we saw. And it'll be forever a stain… on America's reputation.'
He believes a second Trump administration might take a more pragmatic, interest-driven approach.
'The Trump administration could benefit from engaging with the Taliban when it comes to rare earths. Better the US than China,' he said. 'Absolutely. And I think it's also to deprive the Chinese of securing Afghanistan's rare minerals.'
'The Americans may shy away from directly engaging, and I think there's going to be an opportunity for them to engage via the region… I mentioned the Qataris, and of course, others too.' he said.
But his critique doesn't end with foreign policy. Mohseni is also deeply focused on the crumbling infrastructure of legacy journalism – and what it means for influence in a world shaped increasingly by platform algorithms and personal brands.
'It's going to be a slow death. Yes. But it'll happen eventually,' he said, when asked about brands like CNN and MSNBC.
'These kids can just churn out content… with a live focus group of 500,000 viewers. There are now two distinct media paths – and legacy brands aren't on the faster one.'
'It's the Hadley Gambles of the world who give platforms credibility – not the other way around.'
For Moby Group, which continues to operate inside Afghanistan with 450 staff across TV, radio, and digital networks, the future lies in adapting to the next generation of news consumers.
'We're launching a number of platforms, basically for a younger generation, for sort of the Generation Z of Ys, in our neck of the woods,' Mohseni said.
