China’s Grip on Africa’s Minerals Sparks a US Response
In the mini-documentary How the US Can Rival China in Africa, we show how the energy transition is fueling a new struggle between Washington and Beijing.
A conveyor belt moves raw cobalt for processing at the Etoile mine in Katanga province near Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Photographer: Lucien Kahozi/BloombergThe US is going full steam ahead in its effort to catch up with China in a part of the world that’s become central to the green transition: Africa’s “Copperbelt.” Loaded with minerals critical to the production of batteries and other renewable energy components, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have become the latest venue in the struggle for advantage between Washington and Beijing.
As part of its stated ambition to challenge China’s dominance, the Biden administration saw an opportunity to revitalize a century-old rail line linking key African mines to an Atlantic Ocean port. Called the Lobito corridor, the US is investing hundreds of millions of dollars on the project. In the Bloomberg Originals mini-documentary How the US Can Rival China in Africa, we show how the initiative could offer a quick route to the US and the European Union for these critical elements.