Anecdote of Afghanistan: cg125 motorcycles and blankets from China

Since the withdrawal of the U.S. troops, the Taliban quickly captured Afghanistan and established a new Afghan regime. If you often pay attention to the Taliban news, you will find that cg125 motorcycles and safflower blankets often appear on the scene, becoming a peculiar sight unique to Afghanistan.

Holding an AK rifle, shoulder-resistant RPG rocket launcher, and riding a classic Wuyang motorcycle wrapped in a Chinese blanket, this is the classic image of the Afghan Taliban soldiers often appearing in the news. As for the blanket, it is obviously made in China, you can see the pattern.

A few years ago, the US military used Chinese blankets for rescue in the battlefields in Afghanistan. This is obviously a raschel blanket made in China with a pattern of riches and flowers. Because warmth measures have an irreplaceable therapeutic effect in battlefield rescues, the US military will also use the Chinese blankets that can be seen everywhere when rescuing the wounded.

Due to the large temperature difference in Afghanistan, Afghans like to wrap the seat with a blanket when riding a motorcycle, so that riding a motorcycle will be very comfortable. In addition, Taliban soldiers are often active in the wild, and can directly use the blankets on their motorcycles to keep warm at night.

At present, almost all thermal blankets on the domestic market in Afghanistan are made in China, with a market share of over 99%, because the blankets in China are cheap, have good thermal performance, are soft and comfortable, and are easy to clean, to completely squeeze expensive wool blankets out of the market.

As you can see from the picture, in addition to blankets, many Afghan motorcycles are also imported from China. These motorcycles are still at the level of China in the early 1990s, and are basically old cg125/cg150 with small displacement. Motorcycles have even become an important combat tool for Afghan Taliban soldiers, greatly enhancing their mobility, making it very convenient for raids and retreats. Now Afghanistan is out of the control of the US military,it must be followed by a comprehensive economic blockade. Post-war reconstruction has been difficult, but it is a huge market opportunity for China.

The current total population of Afghanistan is about 38.93 million, of which the male population accounts for about 64%. 80% of the landforms are mountainous and plateaus, with a total area of ??653,200 square kilometers. Afghanistan’s production capacity for civilian and industrial products is extremely poor. Although some factories have been built in recent years, there is no industrial chain and low management efficiency. The main daily necessities and industrial products are still dependent on global procurement. Among them, Chinese products are indispensable. Obviously It is impossible for Afghanistan to have motorcycle production capacity in the short term.

For a long period of time, what the Afghan civilian market needs are cheap, durable, low-displacement motorcycles that can pass through certain harsh road conditions, as well as motorcycles with a certain mountain and off-road ability. It does not require any high-level technology. No cool design is needed. For the Afghan people who have experienced 20 years of arduous guerrilla warfare with the US military, cheap, durable, and practical small-displacement motorcycles will become the mainstream of the market, and this is what Chinese motorcycle companies are best at.