Author: C. Geraud Neema
C. Géraud Neema Byamungu is an analyst and observer of China-Africa relations who graduated from Renmin University of China and has a master’s degree in International Development from the International University of Japan. In addition to his role at CGSP, Géraud is also a non-resident scholar in the Africa program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Previously, he worked as a project manager for a small Congolese mining company in DRC and later as a consultant on good governance and policy advocacy for the “Centre d’Etudes pour l’Action Social.”
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Q&A: Copper, Not Cobalt is the Main Focus for Chinese Mining Giant CMOC in the DR Congo
As global competition for access to critical raw materials intensifies, major mining companies are increasingly central to the debate over supply chains. The prolonged slump in prices for nickel, cobalt, and lithium has drawn scrutiny from Western policymakers and corporate leaders, ...
No, the Lobito Corridor is NOT a U.S. Project
U.S. President Joe Biden finally made his long-postponed trip to Angola, fulfilling his December 2022 promise to visit Africa. When the promise was initially made, there were expectations of a more substantial visit—perhaps including multiple countries—not just a single stop as a “lame duck.”
China’s Role in the DR Congo Cobalt Supply Chain: Who’s Who?
This report serves as a companion piece to CGSP’s Interactive Cobalt Tracker. While the map provides detailed, up-to-date data on the cobalt industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this report offers the broader context needed to understand that data.
Letter From Washington: The Narrowing Space for Democracy
Greetings from Washington, D.C., Over the last two and a half months, I’ve spent time in Washington, D.C. and several European capitals meeting with folks from think tanks, civil society, and policy circles to talk about critical minerals and the West’s ...
How China’s CMOC Came Out Ahead in $2 Billion Settlement to End Congo Mining Feud
Chinese mining giant CMOC announced that it has settled a years-long dispute with the DR Congo's state-run mining company Gécamines that both sides hope will conclude a bitter feud between the two firms over royalty payments from the massive Tenke Fungurume mine (TFM), one of the world's ...
Why Felix Tshisekedi’s Visit to Beijing is the Weightiest Trip of His Career
Felix Tshisekedi arrives in China at a politically charged moment at home. 2023 is an election year, he faces a large opposition that not only brings together his prominent opponent Martin Fayulu, but also the former governor of Katanga (and Tshisekedi’s former political ally) Moise Katumbi.
Turns Out, There Are Grievances on Both Sides of the China-DR Congo Relationship
Ahead of President Tshisekedi's arrival in Beijing on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Qin Gang met his Congolese counterpart Christophe Lutundula yesterday. Beyond the formalities and diplomatic courtesies reaffirming the strength of relations between the two countries, Qin made a comment that may ...
What’s At Stake During Félix Tshisekedi’s China Trip?
The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, is making a landmark trip to Beijing the week. It comes amid ongoing controversy both domestically and internationally, about the economic dominance of massive Chinese investments in the central African country. ...
Unpacking the CMOC Deal: What Do We Know So Far?
The newly-announced deal between the Chinese mining giant CMOC and the DRC’s state mining company Gécamines is raising many questions. We asked our Francophone editor Christian-Géraud Neema, who is also an expert on DRC mining, to clue us in: WHAT DO ...
Backgrounder: China-Australia Iron Ore Fight
The Australian-based company Sundance Resources is suing the China-linked Australia-based AustSino for malpractice and corruption over the Mbalam-Nabeba iron project on the border of Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. The court case has led to eye-popping allegations, including that the dispute ...
U.S. Bid to Challenge China’s Dominance of the Battery Metal Supply Chain in Africa Faces Two Key Hurdles
Widely perceived as a major and concrete U.S. move to counter China in the supply chain of critical minerals in Africa, the U.S.-DR Congo-Zambia MoU signed last December in Washington, D.C., will confront significant challenges, mainly for the DRC and Zambia. Both ...
Is the DRC Making Progress in Reshaping Its Controversial Chinese Deals? Maybe.
The Democratic Republic of Congo could be closer to overhauling two controversial Chinese deals. Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi told Reuters the government is in active talks with Sicomines, a joint venture between the DRC’s state mining company Gécamines, and Sinohydro and China Railway Group, who were supposed to ...