China in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A New
Cobalt, a key component in advanced technologies like batteries and solar-powered vehicles, underscores a growing geopolitical challenge for the United States as China strengthens its grip on critical
China''s Blue Gold: Mining in the Democratic
After winning the 2019 election, Democratic Republic of the Congo Pres. Félix Tshisekedi promised to use the country''s vast wealth of cobalt, copper and other minerals to develop the largely rural nation. However, his
One hundred years of cobalt production in the Democratic Republic
Kabila renamed the country to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and sought to reduce the influence rapidly expanding cobalt chemical refining for battery cathodes to support the strategic emerging industry of advanced battery manufacturing. However, China''s cobalt mine Chinese firms began investing heavily in DRC cobalt producing
China, cobalt and the Congo: Why Xi Jinping is winning
China is in pole position to win the battery arms race, and with it hold the balance of power in the automotive and energy storage industries. Its control of the mining, processing and trade in the key battery material cobalt is
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Future of
The state-run mining company, Gecamines'' (La Generale des Carrieres et des Mines) holdings in the Copperbelt contain the world''s biggest concentrations of cobalt and copper metal in the world
Congo''s State Miner Bids for Trafigura-Backed Cobalt
Democratic Republic of Congo''s state-owned miner has submitted a bid for Chemaf Resources Ltd.''s unit in the country, months after saying it intended to block a previous deal to sell the copper and cobalt miner
"China''s investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo: The
Over the past 10 years, China has become a major actor in African politics and development process. It has invested significant amounts of money in infrastructure in mineral-rich countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. In return, China secures the exploitation of main resources, necessary for its own economic development, such as cobalt
DR Congo could defuse China''s EV battery dominance
The mineral-rich Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is often portrayed as a victim of exploitation by China, the US and Europe in their competition for its minerals, which
China''s DRC-Minerals Investment Raises Red Flags
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) boasts vast reserves of cobalt, tantalum, tin, and tungsten – minerals crucial for electronics and batteries — and has received a significant Chinese investment. The average
China in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A New Dynamic
Since the early 2000s, China has spent more than $155 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa, creating new markets for Chinese construction companies and making China a legitimate alternative to Western financing in the realm of developmental and commercial infrastructure. 3 Although China has invested capital into multiple mineral-rich nations, the Democratic
China-Democratic Republic of Congo Relations: From a
Abstract: The relationship between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) relations provides a unique case to test China''s win-win policy with African countries. A recurring question is how can a win-win partnership be realized between very unequal partners? China is a global power ideologically, economically,
The Impact of China''s Investment in the Democratic Republic of
This is the case, for example, when scholars like Moyo believe that China is a friend of the African continent and that "in nearly all African countries surveyed, more people view China''s influence positively than make the same assessment of the U.S. influence." (Moyo, 2010: 103-9) In the context of the Democratic Republic of Congo, critics and concerns have emerged immediately
China''s cobalt conundrum in Congo
More than half of the cobalt that goes into phone batteries and electric vehicles worldwide – 66,000 of 123,000 tons produced in 2016 – is sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Global demand is expanding rapidly. But lawmakers in Kinshasa have decided to cash in, targeting Western and Chinese mining companies with hotly disputed mining sector
Chinese firms agree to raise investment in
Two Chinese companies have agreed to increase their investment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of a minerals-for-infrastructure deal.
China digs in to boost mining in Democratic Republic
Holding 15% of global copper deposits and over 50% of cobalt reserves, with grades far surpassing China''s own resources, the Democratic Republic of Congo''s underdeveloped copper-cobalt belt is a prime opportunity
China in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A
Although China has invested capital into multiple mineral-rich nations, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) stands out because of its vital role in the cobalt market. The DRC produces 80 percent of the world''s
Chinese Companies Announce up to $7 Billion
KINSHASA — Chinese construction companies will invest up to $7 billion in infrastructure projects as part of an agreement over their Sicomines copper and cobalt joint venture in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they
China, DRC talking $7bn in finance, Tshisekedi says
China and Democratic Republic of Congo are discussing $7-billion in financing as part of a renegotiated minerals-for-infrastructure deal, President Felix Tshisekedi said Saturday at his second
US bill aims to counter China control of Congo critical minerals
The Chairman of the House Africa subcommittee, Representative John James of Michigan, introduced a bill requiring the creation of a US national strategy to secure supply
China''s Zijin Plans Lithium Production in Congo From 2026
(Bloomberg) -- China''s Zijin Mining Group Co. aims to start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo early next year from one of the world''s largest deposits of the battery metal. Zijin is accelerating activity at a site in southeast Congo that''s still claimed by
China''s Cobalt King Hits Output Goal Months Ahead of
The Chinese firm passed Glencore Plc last year as the world''s top supplier of the metal used in everything from electric-vehicle batteries to aerospace alloys. CMOC has been expanding two huge mines in the
China in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A New Dynamic in
China''s dominance in the cobalt supply chain is a result of its investments in mines in the DRC and its long-term transportation investments in surrounding countries like
China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, paid a state visit to China at the invitation of his counterpart, President Xi Jinping, May 24-29. Meeting on May 26, the two
5 Cobalt Producers Outside the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accounts for roughly 60 percent of global cobalt production, and has been the top producer of the metal for some time. However, the dangerous conditions in
Sourcing cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a
The development of the EV sector will increasingly depend on a global cobalt supply chain, with battery demand for EVs expected to grow nearly 40 times between 2020 and 2040, to achieve the Paris Agreement goals (IEA, 2021) nsequently, the overall demand for cobalt to produce these batteries will increase 21 times, fuelling a spike in cobalt mining (ibid).
China''s Zijin Plans Lithium Production in Congo From Earl...
(Bloomberg) -- China''s Zijin Mining Group Co. aims to start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo early next year from one of the world''s largest deposits of
China''s Zijin Plans Lithium Production in Congo From 2026
China''s Zijin Mining Group Co. aims to start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo early next year from one of the world''s largest deposits of the battery metal.
China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A
L ocated in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most natural resource rich nations holding massive untapped deposits of minerals including cobalt, copper, diamonds and gold amounting
China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and artisanal
During a 42-fold increase in China''s cobalt refinery production from 1999 through 2005, the country that historically mined most of the world''s cobalt—the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—had just begun to rise from a socioeconomic collapse and two African wars over its territory and resources () fore these crises, DRC copper–cobalt mines were industrial (also
China / Democratic Republic of the Congo
Overview In November 2024, China exported $344M and imported $2.01B from Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in a negative trade balance of $1.66B tween November 2023 and November 2024 the exports of China have decreased by $-28.6M (-7.67%) from $373M to $344M, while imports increased by $521M (35%) from $1.49B to $2.01B.
(PDF) China''s investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo:
The relationship between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) relations provides a unique case to test China''s win-win policy with African countries. 2013), China invests in the Congo and provides aid without attaching either political or human right conditions, with the aim of promoting its foreign policy of "no strings
Chinese firms agree to raise investment in Democratic
The DRC supplies more than 60 per cent of China''s cobalt, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and electronics, making it a key player in China''s transition to green energy.
Blue Metal Blues: Cobalt, the Democratic Republic of
Chinese involvement in the Congolese cobalt industry started in the 2000s with a highly controversial resources-for-infrastructure deal that responded to the Democratic Republic of Congo''s need for infrastructure.
In Congo, China Hits Roadblock in Global Race for Cobalt
For more than a decade, Chinese companies have spent billions of dollars buying out U.S. and European miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo''s cobalt belt—the world''s richest source of a
Chinese aid, trade and investment and the forests of the Democratic
The relationship between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the People''s Republic of China (China) has evolved significantly during the past 40 years. From a largely strategic alliance favouring a more prominent position for China in Africa and on the world stage and symbolic development assistance in support of Mobutu''s regime, it has developed into a business
Is the US subverting China''s influence in the DRC?
In the battle for resources in the clean energy race, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) stands as a critical piece of the puzzle, holding access to key metals such as cobalt, lithium, copper and coltan. While China has been an
China''s Zijin Plans Lithium Production in Congo From Earl...
(Bloomberg) --China''s Zijin Mining Group Co. aims to start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo early next year from one of the world''s largest deposits of the battery metal.Zijin is accelerating activity at a site in southeast Congo that''s still claimed by AVZ Minerals Ltd. The Australian firm has initiated arbitration proceedings against both the
China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
From 2000 through 2020, demand for cobalt to manufacture batteries grew 26-fold. Eighty-two percent of this growth occurred in China and China''s cobalt refinery production increased 78-fold. Diminished industrial
Minerals and China''s Military Assistance in the DR Congo
The majority of China''s peacekeeping troops are in the U.N. mission in South Sudan, where China has 1,059 troops, police, and experts deployed. By comparison, MONUSCO is China''s fourth-largest
6 FAQs about [China invests in batteries in the Democratic Republic of Congo]
Will Zijin start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
(Bloomberg) — China’s Zijin Mining Group Co. aims to start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo early next year from one of the world’s largest deposits of the battery metal. Zijin is accelerating activity at a site in southeast Congo that’s still claimed by AVZ Minerals Ltd.
Will China start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
China’s Zijin Mining Group Co. aims to start producing lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo early next year from one of the world’s largest deposits of the battery metal. Published Jan 07, 2025 • Last updated Jan 07, 2025 • 3 minute read Lithium Photographer: Cynthia R Matonhodze/Bloomberg Photo by Cynthia R Matonhodze / Bloomberg
Why is the DRC important to China?
The DRC is essential to China’s position in the global market: 67.5 percent of China’s refined cobalt comes from the DRC.
Why is the Democratic Republic of the Congo so important?
Although China has invested capital into multiple mineral-rich nations, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) stands out because of its vital role in the cobalt market. The DRC produces 80 percent of the world’s cobalt—Chinese state-owned enterprises and policy banks control 80 percent of the total output.
Why are Chinese companies investing in Africa's lithium resources?
Chinese companies including Zijin are investing heavily in Africa’s lithium resources from Mali to Zimbabwe, even after prices slumped almost 90% from a peak in 2022. They are seeking to lock down feedstock for refineries at home in anticipation of soaring future consumption of the metal.
Does Zijin own a copper mine in Congo?
A subsidiary has already rehabilitated a nearby hydroelectric facility. Zijin also has interests in two copper mines in Congo, including a 39.6% stake in the giant Kamoa-Kakula complex, which is a partnership with Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. Congo’s mines ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment.