Tag: DRC
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Mounting Anger in the DRC Following New Videos of Apparent Illegal Chinese Mining
For the past several weeks, there's been a noticeable increase in the number of videos and photos published on Congolese social media channels fuelling mounting public anger over Chinese labor and environmental practices in the mining sector. Two videos, in particular, ...
Week in Review: Pangolins, Power and Payments
Nigerian customs authorities at the port of Lekki sized a record 7.1 tons of pangolin scales on Wednesday and arrested three suspects. A fourth, believed to be the smuggling kingpin is still at large. The endangered pangolin is now the most hunted mammal on earth and a seizure ...
China’s Infrastructure Soft Power Diplomacy in Africa
China's approach to soft power diplomacy in Africa differs markedly from that of other major powers, namely the United States, France and the UK. While those countries rely heavily on cultural products like movies and music to promote their cultures, China uses glamor shots of beautiful new ...
NGO Report: DRC is the “Loser” in the Sicomines Mega-Mining Deal With China
The DR Congo will be saddled with debt and poor quality infrastructure as a result of the faulty 2008 deal between the state-run mining company Gecamines and a consortium of Chinese investors, according to a new report by the Kinshasa-based NGO African Resources Watch ...
Even If the DRC is Able To Re-Negotiate Its Mining Contracts With The Chinese and Others, It’s Still Not Going to Help Ordinary People, Says Expert
A leading Congolese mining expert wants to dispel the notion that President Félix Tshisekedi's efforts to renegotiate foreign mining contracts is going to benefit ordinary people. "It is, of course, a first step," acknowledged Jean Pierre Okenda, a well-known expert in DRC mining issues and head of the extractive ...
China’s Role in the Complex, Brutal History of Cobalt Mining in the DR Congo
The New Yorker magazine published a sweeping long-form article in its latest edition that delves into the painful history of Congolese cobalt -- a metal that is now indispensable for any consumer who owns a mobile phone and a strategic resource that is in the ...
China’s Ambassador to the DRC Hints the Country May Once Again Be at the Center of a Great Power Struggle
Chinese ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zhu Jing, posted a somewhat cryptic tweet earlier this week that suggested the DRC may once again be at the center of a great power struggle, this one, he implied between the United States and China.
In 5 Years, the Battle Over Cobalt is Going to Intensify… a LOT!
There are just five years left before the demand for cobalt, a critical metal used to make the batteries in electric vehicles, is going to outstrip the known supply of this strategically vital resource. And with 60-70% of the world's cobalt reserves located in ...
Two Events in China and the DR Congo Illustrate Why the Race for Cobalt Supplies is So Important
Soaring demand for electric cars and trucks is sparking a buying frenzy for the critical ingredients used to make the batteries in those vehicles, namely cobalt. Prices for the metal are up 65% this year alone, the highest since 2018, at $53,000 a ton. ...
With the Two Sessions Now Underway in Beijing, Chinese Diplomats in Africa Extend Their “Legislative Greetings”
China's largest legislative event of the year is now underway in Beijing where 5,000 delegates from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC) are meeting in what's become known as the "Two Sessions."
With the U.S. In Its Sights, China Moves to Restrict Rare Earths Exports. Could Cobalt Be Next?
China's control of strategically important minerals and metals are poised to become new weapons in the increasingly acrimonious trade conflict with the United States. The Ministry of Industry last week submitted a new policy proposal that aims to tighten export controls on rare earths, ...
Wang Yi’s Busy Day in Kinshasa
On the second stop of his weeklong Africa tour, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spent a very busy day on Wednesday in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he met with President Félix Tshisekedi and Foreign Minister Marie Tumba Nzeza. ...