http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/26/china-winner-afghanistan/1866571/

China could prove ultimate winner in Afghanistan

January 26, 2013

Story Highlights

• Afghanistan may have $1 trillion in minerals
• China hopes stability will pacify Islamist rebels
• U.S., Afghanistan welcome increased Chinese action

KABUL (AP) — China, long a bystander to the conflict in Afghanistan, is stepping up its involvement as U.S.-led forces prepare to withdraw, attracted by the country's vast mineral resources but concerned that any post-2014 chaos could embolden Islamist insurgents in its own territory.
Cheered on by the U.S. and other Western governments, which see Asia's giant as a potentially stabilizing force, China could prove the ultimate winner in Afghanistan — having shed no blood and not much aid.