Plunder of Rare Minerals by China Sparks African Pushback

African governments are becoming increasingly frustrated with alleged abuses committed by Chinese mineral extraction companies and are taking action.

Workers inspect an open cast at the Arcadia lithium mine on Jan. 11, 2022, in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe. In 2023, the Chinese firm Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt said it would pay more than $400 million for the hard-rock lithium mine. Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG—Chinese mining companies are colluding with organized crime groups, terrorists, and corrupt government officials to operate illegal mines in Africa and to effectively steal valuable minerals and metals, according to security experts and intelligence analysts.

Several foreign and African diplomats told The Epoch Times of rising tensions between Beijing and some African administrations because of the unfolding situation and the presence of Chinese criminals in their countries.