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It’s Been a Downright Terrible Week For Two of China’s Most Important Mining Ventures in Africa

by Eric Olander
Aerial view of the world's largest iron ore deposits at the Simandou mine in Guinea. Image via Rio Tinto.

Two of China’s largest and most important mining ventures in Africa, one in Guinea and the other in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, face the real possibility of being shut down after years of contentious relations with their local partners.

In West Africa, a Sino-Australian joint venture to develop the massive Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea was shuttered earlier this week after Mines Minister Moussa Magassouba sent a letter to the lead companies on the project saying that they had both shown a “lack of willingness” to make the necessary investments in the venture.

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