STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: NPR's business news starts with China in Afghanistan.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Afghanistan's government is signing off on a deal with the Chinese state oil company. China's National Petroleum Corporation would be the first foreign company to produce oil in Afghanistan. The Afghan government says the 25-year-deal could create jobs and help develop oil reserves in the northeastern part of the country.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: For China, this agreement could mean a new source of energy. China is already Afghanistan's largest foreign investor, in fact. A few years ago, a Chinese metals company won the rights to develop a giant copper mine in Afghanistan.
China's National Petroleum Corporation would be the first foreign company to produce oil in Afghanistan. The Afghan government says the 25-year-deal could create jobs and help develop oil reserves in the northeast part of the country.