Geo-Strategic Trend - 11. page

Over the past year, at least 12 African countries — including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Kenya — have introduced sweeping new policies aimed at tightening state control over critical mineral resources. The measures include bans on raw ore exports, mandatory local processing requirements, state equity participation in mining projects, and restrictions on foreign involvement in mining-related industries.

Analysts say the shift is being driven by the global energy transition, which has sharply increased demand for lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth minerals used in electric vehicles, energy storage, and defense industries. Many African governments now view raw mineral exports as unequal arrangements that leave most profits to foreign processors. Indonesia’s success after banning nickel ore exports has become a key reference point, demonstrating how export restrictions can help build domestic processing industries and attract foreign investment.

The African Union’s 2025 African Green Minerals Strategy further encouraged local processing and industrial upgrading. At the same time, growing geopolitical competition over critical minerals has intensified external pressure. The United States and European Union have expanded investment and infrastructure cooperation in Africa while encouraging resource diversification away from China.

The policy shift is creating major challenges for Chinese mining companies. Export restrictions, state ownership requirements, local hiring quotas, technology transfer demands, and stricter environmental regulations are increasing operational costs and disrupting supply chains. As a result, many Chinese firms are accelerating supply-chain localization in Africa by building local smelting and refining facilities. However, Chinese commentators argue that higher-value segments — such as battery-grade lithium salts, ternary precursor materials, and advanced magnetic materials — should remain concentrated in China to preserve the core technological value of the supply chain.

Source: Net Ease, June 2, 2026
https://www.163.com/dy/article/KUES8MLQ05568TV3.html

The United States and its Western partners are accelerating development of the “Lobito Corridor,” a major railway and logistics route linking Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito with the copper and cobalt mining regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. According to South Africa’s Daily Maverick, the corridor bypasses South Africa’s traditional port network and offers a shorter, more reliable export route for strategic minerals to Atlantic markets. Analysts view the initiative as part of a Western effort to reshape African supply chains and reduce China’s dominance over critical minerals and Belt and Road infrastructure across the continent.

Africa holds roughly 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves, including major shares of cobalt, chromium, manganese, gold, and platinum-group metals. China has long expanded its influence through infrastructure-for-resources agreements, financing railways and ports in exchange for mining access. Chinese firms are also increasingly investing in local refining and processing facilities, shifting from simple resource extraction toward vertically integrated mineral supply chains.

Since 2023, the United States and the European Union have backed the Lobito Corridor with more than $2.7 billion in investment, aiming to establish alternative supply chains for critical minerals and challenge China’s dominant position in Africa’s mining logistics network.

Source: Epoch Times, May 27, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/5/26/n14774871.htm