As EU Courts Africa on Minerals and Development, China’s Presence Remains Unspoken but Central

Representatives from the European Union and the African Union opened a two-day summit meeting in the Angolan capital, Luanda, on November 24, 2025. Image via the EU delegation to the African Union.

Although China is not officially on the agenda at the two-day African Union-European Union summit that began on Monday in Angola, Beijing’s increasingly expansive role on the continent will be a major undercurrent at the gathering.

Most importantly, European leaders are keen to develop new critical mineral supply chains in Africa to lessen their current over-reliance on China. Part of that plan will be the new EU-backed Lobito Corridor railway project that will transport copper, cobalt, and other metals from the DR Congo and Zambia to the Angola port of Lobito.

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by Eric Olander

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