Category: Mining
Fresh Indication Tshisekedi Wants to Get the DRC’s Ties With Chinese Mining Giants Back on Track
There's new evidence that the once combative relationship between DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi and the large Chinese cobalt mining companies that operate in his country is getting back on track. On Sunday, the President spoke by phone ...
Lithium Follows Cobalt’s Lead With New Record Production Output
The surging demand for electric vehicles in China, the U.S., and Europe is powering new demand for lithium, a key ingredient used to make EV batteries. Global mined lithium production hit a record high in 2021 of 100,000 tonnes (excluding the ...
Together China and the DRC Led the Way for Record Cobalt Output in 2021
Strong consumer demand for electric vehicles propelled a 20% increase in global cobalt output last year to a record 170,000 tons, according to new data from the U.S. Geological Survey. This means that together, China ...
Peter Pham Wants the U.S. to Break Its Dependence on the Chinese Cobalt Supply Chain
Former Trump administration diplomat Peter Pham is no longer in government yet he remains one of Washington's most influential voices on African affairs and, notably, one of the Beltway's most outspoken critics of China's engagement on the continent. He's particularly concerned ...
Xinhua Joins the Fight Over Allegations of Labor and Environmental Abuses by Chinese Companies in Zimbabwe
China's state-run news agency Xinhua pushed back against a January 7th report in The Guardian (UK) newspaper that claimed the Chinese-owned Jinding mining company is requiring 50 families in rural Zimbabwe to move so as to make way for a granite polishing plant.
High-Level U.S. National Security Delegation Pitched Tshisekedi a “Different Development Model” Than China’s
A high-level delegation from the United States met with Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa on Friday, in what appears to be an effort to try and loosen China's increasingly tight grip on the Congolese mining sector. The ...
Amid New Reports of Violence Against Chinese Nationals in the DR Congo, Embassy Gathers Business Leaders to Discuss How to Respond
Chinese Ambassador Zhu Jing hosting business leaders to discuss the worsening security situation in the DR Congo. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The worsening security situation ...
All Smiles as DR Congo’s Ambassador to China Visits Mining Giant’s HQ in Beijing
The DR Congo's ambassador to China, François Nkuna Balumuene, made a courtesy call visit last week to the headquarters of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group (CNMC) Deziwa, the state-owned mining giant that runs huge copper and cobalt operations in the DRC. Balumuene ...
Chinese News Outlet Fact Checks Claim That Chinese Mining Company Unduly Evicted Zimbabweans From Their Ancestral Land
The increasingly contentious dispute in Zimbabwe over the behavior of Chinese mining companies is now getting noticed back in China, where the popular online news site The Paper.cn published a detailed fact check report on some of the allegations against Chinese mining companies.
The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe Rallies to Defend Chinese Businesses in Worsening Stand-off With Civil Society Groups
The Chinese embassy in Harare stepped up on Monday to defend Chinese businesses, mostly in the mining sector, against accusations of environmental and social abuse made by a coalition of 27 civil society organizations (CSOs).
Investigating Chinese Corruption in the DRC Linked to the “Deal of the Century”
China's role in the landmark Congo-Hold Up corruption scandal was relatively small compared to those of other actors that were found to have funneled millions of dollars to former Congolese president Joseph Kabila and his associates. Nonetheless, investigators found that Chinese ...
Small-scale Miners in Northeastern DR Congo Protest Against Chinese Mining Companies’ Use of Heavy Machinery
Protests erupted this week in the far northeastern Congolese province of Haut-Uélé where small-scale miners rallied against the growing presence of Chinese mining companies in the region. The marchers, mostly young men, are upset about how Chinese mining companies are using large ...