Chinese mining companies dominate the Congo’s critical mineral production, but a nasty dispute at a cobalt mine shows the country is starting to drive a harder bargain.
When Dr. Sage Ngoie Mbayo arrived at the gate of the Tenke-Fungurume Mine (TFM), on June 10, he only had one goal: to smooth things over.
The mine is one of the crown jewels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s impressive mineral treasure chest. It alone contributes 14 percent of the world's supply of cobalt, a critical input to electric vehicle batteries. But since August 2021, TFM has been locked in something of a tug-of-war between the Congolese government and a state-backed Chinese
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Washington’s $370 billion Inflation Reduction Act was seen as a generational opportunity for miners in the U.S. as well as mineral rich trading partners. But almost two years later, the North American mining industry is in crisis and no closer to chipping away at China's dominance. What went wrong?
The academic explains why we need to look beyond the actions of the Chinese government to understand how and why China is shaping countries in the region.
A podcast about how the two nations, once friends, are now foes.
Hear why things are so complicated now. Host Jane Perlez, former New York Times Beijing bureau chief, talks with diplomats, spies, cultural superstars like Yo Yo Ma, and more to understand why the dangers are so high, and why relations went awry.