Beard of the Prophet Alert!
(Via Rand Simberg) AFP startles with Chinese mini- skirted revolution hits post-Taliban Afghan:

A mini-skirted Chinese waitress serves Tsing Tao beer to customers chowing barbecued pork to karaoke anthems -- Kabul's newest dining experience is enough to make the Taliban head for the hills.

The unassumingly named Chinese Restaurant has been a runaway success since opening its doors and firing up its woks in the Afghan capital in November. Reservations, says manager Wang Wentian, are a must.

Needless to say, most Kabul citizens would have a few reservations at visiting an eatery where, before last year's collapse of the hardline Taliban regime, staring at the staff would probably have been enough to warrant severe punishment.

But, says Wang, the restaurant stands at the vanguard of a bold new wave of Chinese investors poised to help themselves to a highly lucrative market -- even if the raised hemlines of his staff have raised a few eyebrows.

Dang, where's the obligatory picture? But there's more than meets the eye:

China's influence is increasingly noticeable in Kabul. Cheap Chinese electronic goods are knocking Japanese and Pakistani rivals off the shelves, while Shanghai-made cycles ply the streets of the capital.

In a gesture aimed at building bridges between the two countries and clearing the slate for increased trade, China in November agreed to scrap several million dollars of debts owed by Afghanistan dating back to the 1960s.

Earlier this year it also launched an offensive to win over hearts in Kabul by donating an animal aid package to the city's dilapidated zoo: a menagerie which included lions, bears, wolves and pigs.

According to a spokesman for the newly refurbished Chinese embassy in Kabul, Beijing is actively encouraging its citizens to head for Afghanistan at a time when many nations are still advising theirs to stay away.

Hmmm, I wonder why?