The United States is intensifying its competition with China over control of Africa’s critical mineral supplies, including copper, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, according to discussions at the 2026 African Mining Indaba currently taking place in Cape Town. Washington’s focus centers on the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Guinea, with the DRC supplying over 70 percent of the world’s cobalt and remaining one of the largest copper producers.
China currently dominates the extraction and processing of rare earth metals and other critical minerals like lithium and cobalt. Chinese companies control substantial mining operations across developing countries, including throughout Africa.
Against a backdrop of escalating trade and technology confrontation, both nations are attempting to achieve independence from each other in key industrial sectors. China is developing its semiconductor industry capabilities while the United States works to bypass China and diversify the global rare earth supply chain.
Africa has emerged as a crucial battleground in this great power competition, with the two nations employing different strategies. The American approach avoids directly managing mines in politically unstable regions, instead using a “money-for-shares” model that provides financing in exchange for portions of extracted minerals. China’s advantages include controlling the DRC’s largest mineral assets, faster project launches even in unstable regions, and aggressive infrastructure investment in mineral-producing countries. Chinese investment has built thousands of kilometers of roads and railways, dozens of port facilities, and major transportation arteries across Africa, improving market access for African mineral producers, reducing logistics costs, and promoting economic growth.
In essence, the United States attempts to secure portions of African-extracted raw materials through capital injection and transport them to U.S.-aligned regions for processing. However, China maintains its advantage in African extractive industries through economies of scale, infrastructure and production construction speed, and Chinese companies’ willingness to operate in high-risk environments.
Source: Sputnik News, February 10, 2026
https://sputniknews.cn/20260210/1069718226.html