On June 11, 2025, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the head of China's China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) pledged to cooperate in Afghanistan's infrastructure construction, animal husbandry and oil and gas field feasibility studies during a meeting with the ministry's acting minister.

Acting Minister of Afghanistan, Maulawi Amir Khan Mottaki, held talks with Chen Xiaodong, head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, in Beijing, said Hafez Zia Ahmed Takar, deputy spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

According to the Afghan Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed China's development projects in the field of reconstruction and other bilateral cooperation in Afghanistan during the talks, and then introduced the current status of oil and gas field resources in Afghanistan

Amu Darya Basin:

The basin's crude oil zone extends over an area of more than 75,000 square kilometers. Exploration began in 1958 in cooperation with the Soviet Union, and 67 of the 500 excavation sites were explored, resulting in the discovery of 8 gas fields and 6 oil fields. The potential reserves at these locations are estimated at about 963 million barrels of crude oil and 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Afghanistan-Tajikistan crude oil region:

Crude oil is found in the northern and northeastern parts of the basin, which stretches for nearly 31,000 square kilometers along the border with Turkmenistan. The Tajik-Afghan crude oil zone was discovered in 1958 with reserves of about 946 million barrels of crude oil and 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The oil and gas zone is divided into 12 blocks, two of which are capable of producing 514 million barrels of crude oil and 91 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

Trippur Oil Basin:

The region's crude oil is located in the Islamic Kara region in the western part of Herat province, covering about 26,000 square kilometers and 95 kilometers from the Iranian border. Exact information on the amount of oil in the basin has not yet been estimated, but geologists say that Trippur's oil and gas reserves have been retained enough to be easier to extract.

Katawaz District:

The Katawaz region is located in the southeastern part of the country and covers an area of 45,000 square kilometers. In this area, neither exploration wells were drilled nor seismic surveys were conducted, but petroleum geological studies and gravity and magnetic surveys were carried out in the basin.

Helmand Province Crude Oil Zone:

The region is located in the desert and covers an area of 131,000 square kilometers. In the corresponding area of this basin, gravity and magnetic data are interpreted to mean that sedimentary rocks are more than 1500m thick. Gravity and magnetic surveys are the only activity in the basin.

The current status of oil and gas field development in Afghanistan

Amu Darya Basin development: In early 2023, Afghan Taliban authorities signed a 25-year contract with the Xinjiang Central Asia Oil and Gas Company to extract oil from the Amu Darya Basin. This is the first major mining agreement signed by the Taliban government with a foreign company since it came to power in 2021. The company missed its investment target due to delays in materials, cost forecasts and financial plan approvals, but upfront investment still increased Afghanistan's crude oil production capacity to 8,000 barrels per day.

The Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan has put forward practical proposals that the China International Development Cooperation Agency will make a priority in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, while pledging to continue to cooperate with Afghanistan in the areas of health, energy, agriculture and capacity building. Administrator Chen Xiaodong also pledged to collaborate in the areas of infrastructure development, animal husbandry, and oil and gas field feasibility studies in Afghanistan.(This article is from the official website of Seetao www.seetao.com. Reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited. Please indicate Seetao.com + original link when reprinting) Seetao.com Strategy Column Editor/Sun Fengjuan