On the ground floor are shops selling Chinese products, including lights, office furniture, fans, electric bicycles, kitchen equipment, garden tools, pipe fittings, solar panels, toiletries, clothes, decorations and Clean Laundry detergent, which promises “disintegration of the stain.” Most visitors’ first stop is the office of Yu Minghui, the 51-year-old entrepreneur who started Chinatown in 2019 and who doubles as chairman of the China-Afghanistan Trade Committee, a semiofficial liaison office for Yu’s passion project: bringing Chinese merchants to Afghanistan.Those who like their chances can join Chinatown or rent space in Yu’s newest undertaking, a sprawling 350-acre, $216-million industrial park on Kabul’s northeastern edge — the first infrastructure project signed between a Chinese company and the Taliban government.Instead, Beijing’s goal is to neutralize the dangers from what has long been a problematic neighbor, while pursuing wider policies such as its Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to develop international infrastructure links, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $62-billion project to construct transportation networks, energy infrastructure and special economic zones, which Beijing wants to extend to include Afghanistan.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group wanted to move ahead with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, calling it “a great opportunity” and saying that now that there is “good security, it is time we start major economic projects.” They want to help foreigners invest here.“I’m dealing with Chinese investors not every week, but every day,” said Jawad, an Afghan Ministry of Commerce official who gave only his first name because he was not authorized to speak to the media."