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Can Africa Move Up the Critical Mineral Value Chain? The Hard Truth Behind a Familiar Chorus

As China opens its doors wider to African exports, extending duty-free market access to all 53 diplomatic partners on the continent, the announcement was met with applause in ministerial corridors from Nairobi to Niamey. For many, the new policy represents another chance for Africa to claim ...

Europe’s Green Mining Regulations May Push Africa Closer to China

While Europe’s environmental policy to limit carbon emissions is well-meaning and aims to fight climate change, it could actually make things worse for Africa. Instead of helping the continent to develop its industries, EU policy might instead give China more control over access to valuable mineral resources, ...

WEEK IN REVIEW: China Becoming Africa’s Go To Source for Weapons

The Nigerian military signed a deal with Chinese state-owned weapons manufacturer Norinco to set up a factory as part of an effort to develop a domestic arms production capacity in the West African country. The ...

In China’s Wake, India Tries a Cleaner, Fairer Mineral Path in Africa

In January, the Indian government published a new critical minerals strategy that details how the country aims to bolster supply chains necessary for its green energy transition. While the report underscores the importance of developing domestic supplies of lithium and other ...

Colombia Seizes 54 Tons of China-Bound Smartphone Minerals

Colombian police said Wednesday they had seized 54 tons of tin and coltan, a mineral used in smartphones, that had been illicitly extracted by leftist rebels and readied for shipment to China. They valued the seizure, one of the biggest of ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

China-Led Study Proposes Global Energy Network

A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.

The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked to ...

Kiribati Eyes Deep-Sea Mining Deal With China

Pacific nation Kiribati says it is exploring a deep-sea mining partnership with China, dangling access to a vast patch of the Pacific Ocean harboring coveted metals and minerals. Beijing has been ramping up efforts to court Pacific nations sitting on lucrative ...

China, the U.S., and the Competition for Africa’s Strategic Resources

Southern Africa has become a focal point of geopolitical competition, with the U.S., China, and other global powers maneuvering for influence over key infrastructure projects and critical resources. The Lobito Corridor Project, a railway and logistics ...

Tracking China’s Dominance of the Transition Minerals Trade

U.S. and European leaders often talk about the importance of building China-free supply chains for transition minerals and other critical resources. While, for a lot of people, that may resonate among their constituents at home, the reality is that it's not ...

The Long Game: China’s Strategy for Cobalt and Critical Resources

By Géraud Neema and Eric Olander In the world of critical minerals, where prices fluctuate wildly and geopolitical tensions loom large, China may be demonstrating a mastery of long-term strategic planning. At a time when cobalt prices have plummeted to just ...

Nigeria’s Lithium Boom: Chinese Buyers, Local Struggles, and a Global Race

By Leslie Fauvel At an open-cast mine, Abdullahi Ibrahim Danjija carefully chisels away at a hunk of whitish rock before stuffing a sack with the pieces that break off the walls. In the course of ...

3 Key Trends to Watch for China-Global South Ties in 2025

Trend-predicting – always a dicey enterprise – feels particularly difficult as the Biden administration dries to a crusty stain, and incoming U.S. President Donald Trump waits in the wings huddled in his signature cloud of white-hot incoherence. However, tracking a few ...

Locating Türkiye in Global Critical Minerals Competition Between East and West

By Buğra Süsler Critical minerals are becoming increasingly important due to their use in various strategic sectors, such as renewable energy, aerospace, and defense, with a growing global demand accelerated by the decarbonization of economies. China’s dominance in the production and ...
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