DR Congo Becomes Africa’s First Lithium Exporter to China
Strategic Question
Is the Democratic Republic of Congo becoming a strategic supplier of lithium within China’s critical mineral supply chain?
Core Assessment
The Democratic Republic of Congo's first lithium exports to China signal the emergence of Africa as a lithium exporter. Due to arrive in October 2026, the lithium export represents more than the launch of a mining project. China continues to expand its access to critical battery minerals while strengthening its long-term industrial supply chain by securing upstream sources of critical minerals to support its processing dominance. Lithium exports highlight the strategic competition over African critical minerals between China and Western mining companies.
Background
The Democratic Republic of Congo has begun exporting lithium to China from the Manono project, marking the first African shipment of lithium leaving the continent. Chinese mining company Zijin has a joint venture with the state-owned miner Cominiere and the Congolese government as part of the Manono project. Zijin holds 54.9% of the Manono project, while other Chinese companies, CMOC and Huayou Cobalt, also have operations in the DR Congo. Currently, China refines approximately 73% of global lithium conversion capacity, with the new shipments from the DR Congo likely to strengthen this dominance. The DR Congo is already a major supplier of cobalt, contributing approximately 76% of global output.
Strategic Assessment
China is broadening its critical mineral supply chains by diversifying into Africa. The first lithium shipment from Africa indicates that China’s diversification strategy in the DR Congo is now evolving from investment to production.
The lithium shipment is not solely an additional input for Chinese processing but part of an integrated industrial supply chain linking African extraction with Chinese processing. The new supply chain link adds lithium to China’s existing critical mineral imports from Africa for industrial processing, which already include cobalt, copper, iron ore, bauxite, and manganese & precious metals.
Increases in African critical mineral exports, including the addition of lithium, indicate that competition over critical mineral supply chains is expanding. Chinese companies have progressed projects within the Congolese regulatory environment, while several Western companies have faced disputes. Australian miner AVZ had its permit cancelled after failed arbitration, while U.S. company KoBold Metals has declined to start construction until ownership issues are resolved.
Chinese company Zijin has also contributed USD 1 billion in financing with reports that Zijin will market and sell all first-phase output, including state-owned miner Cominiere’s share. The Manono project demonstrates how Chinese companies have been able to finance, develop, and commercialise lithium production, giving Beijing a competitive advantage in the country’s critical mineral sector.
What to Watch
Increase in Chinese investment in DR Congo mining.
Western responses to Chinese exports and investment.
Arbitration and legal outcomes for Western mining companies.
Lithium export volumes and data from Manono.
Chinese lithium processing data and output.
Strategic Indicator
Chinese Upstream Investment in African Lithium
Assessment: ▲ increasing.
The Chinese–DR Congo partnership expands the existing flow of African critical minerals to China. The addition of lithium increases China’s upstream access to critical battery minerals while reinforcing feedstock supplies for its domestic refining industry. With the recent lithium exports, the partnership suggests that closer collaboration and an industrial supply chain are emerging.
The significance of the partnership will not be measured by a single shipment but by sustained production, export volumes, and the partnership’s ability to endure legal, commercial, and geopolitical competition from Western companies.