Beijing and Chinese Companies Seek to Control Africa’s Rich Lithium and Cobalt Mines

Beijing and Chinese Companies Seek to Control Africa’s Rich Lithium and Cobalt Mines
AVZ Mineral's lithium mine in the Manono region of the DRC. In May 2022, Chinese companies are competing with Australia's AVZ for control of the Manono lithium project in Africa. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images
Anne Zhang
Updated:

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is stepping up its efforts to seize and control Africa’s natural resources. In particular, Chinese companies have accelerated their acquisition of lithium mines as lithium is an essential material used in the production of electric car batteries.

A news release published in China’s The Paper last May indicated BYD Company, the Chinese electric car and battery giant, had reached an agreement to acquire six lithium mines in Africa. BYD estimates the lithium from these mines should be enough to produce about 28 million electric vehicles.
Anne Zhang
Anne Zhang
Author
Anne Zhang is a writer for The Epoch Times with a focus on China-related topics. She began writing for the Chinese-language edition in 2014.
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