{"id":1549795,"date":"2025-07-29T22:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T02:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1549795"},"modified":"2025-07-29T22:50:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T02:50:00","slug":"the-us-is-catching-up-competition-with-china-over-dr-congo-minerals-intensifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/the-us-is-catching-up-competition-with-china-over-dr-congo-minerals-intensifies\/1549795\/","title":{"rendered":"“The US Is Catching Up”: Competition With China Over DR Congo Minerals Intensifies"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The US Is Catching Up”: Competition With China Over DR Congo Minerals Intensifies<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

After years of near-exclusive control over the Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019s (DRC) rich mineral reserves, China now faces growing competition from the United States. Washington is moving aggressively to secure access to cobalt, copper, and lithium\u2014vital for electric vehicles, green energy, and defense technologies, according to the South China Morning Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last year, the US reportedly pressured Kinshasa to block a Chinese acquisition of Chemaf Resources. Now, a US consortium, including firms led by former military executives, has bid for Chemaf\u2019s operations, including the major Mutoshi copper-cobalt project. Bill Gates- and Jeff Bezos-backed KoBold Metals has also signed a deal to explore the Manono lithium deposit, despite a legal dispute with Australia\u2019s AVZ Minerals.<\/p>\n

These moves follow a US-brokered \u201cminerals-for-security\u201d agreement between the DRC and Rwanda aimed at stabilizing eastern Congo. In return, American companies gain mineral access.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joseph Cihunda, a law professor at the University of Kinshasa, said the Congolese government is trying to avoid becoming a battleground between global powers. \u201cEven in Congolese public opinion, they do not want such a confrontation,\u201d he noted. President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi recently met with Chinese officials to reassure them of continued cooperation.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMinerals are abundant in the DR Congo and there is room for everyone, American, European and Chinese,\u201d Cihunda added.<\/p>\n

SCMP writes<\/a> that China remains deeply embedded in the DRC mining sector. Its ambassador to Kinshasa, Zhao Bin, rejected claims Beijing had neglected Congo, saying: \u201cWe have neither treated the DR Congo as a bargaining chip nor imposed any discriminatory measures against it.\u201d Zhao emphasized China\u2019s \u201cnon-interference\u201d policy and its practical support, from military aid to economic assistance.<\/p>\n

Analysts say the US is now trying to catch up. Sun Yun of the Stimson Center said, \u201cThe US is catching up on its critical mineral vulnerability and it will have to vigorously push for more assets and security in its supply chain.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much of the competition centers on cobalt\u2014of which the DRC supplies roughly 70% of the global total\u2014as well as copper, lithium, and other key metals. Western companies ceded many assets to Chinese control in past years, including Freeport-McMoRan\u2019s sale of Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu to China Molybdenum in 2016 and 2020.<\/p>\n

Chris Berry of House Mountain Partners said US policy on minerals has shifted from environmental goals to security priorities: \u201cRather than a focus on ESG or \u2018green growth\u2019 the focus is now on national defence and self-sufficiency in critical mineral access.\u201d He expects US companies to be \u201cmuch more aggressive in deal making\u201d as they compete with China.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nTue, 07\/29\/2025 – 18:50<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/markets\/us-catching-competition-china-over-dr-congo-minerals-intensifies<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“The US Is Catching Up”: Competition With China Over DR Congo Minerals Intensifies After years of near-exclusive control over the Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019s (DRC)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1549796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1549795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1549795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1549795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1549795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1549796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1549795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1549795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1549795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}