US IN REGULAR TALKS WITH CONGO ON COBALT AND COPPER
The US is in regular touch with the Democratic Republic of Congo ’ s ( DRC ) state miner Gecamines as it targets key suppliers of cobalt and copper .
Aggressive Chinese investment in Congo , Zambia and elsewhere in Africa has been a concern in Washington for years .
Despite recent efforts , the US lags behind China in access to minerals across the African continent needed for the production of products like EV batteries and solar panels .
US State Department ’ s Under Secretary for Economic Growth , Energy & the Environment , Jose Fernandez , told Reuters : “ Our conversations with Gecamines centre on supply deals and potential new mines . Be it China or anybody else , it ’ s just not good to have one single supplier of anything .
He added “ Host countries have experienced an investment system where investors bring in their own workforce and do not clean up their environmental damage . That ’ s not what they want .”
Fernandez declined to comment on whether the US government would seek to buy all or part of Canadian miner First Quantum ’ s Zambian assets .
He added that the US “ continues to work with Zambia and Congo on mining and regulatory structures . Our goal is not to offset China ’ s influence in Africa ’ s critical mineral sector but to diversify our own supply chains and encourage African partners to boost their mining standards .”
96 June 2024