Donald Trump has opened a new front in his trade war with China, deploying a family confidant to Kinshasa to challenge Beijing’s control of critical minerals. Almost unnoticed amid the tariff battles, Trump is working to reclaim the mineral supply chains that power the modern world – starting in the Democratic Republic of Congo at Africa’s heart. His plan is to give US military assistance to the beleaguered government of President Félix Tshisekedi in return for access to cobalt and copper reserves worth trillions.
Congo produces 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt – used in electric vehicles, smartphones, and advanced weaponry. It also exports copper, tantalum and lithium – everything needed to build batteries, missiles, and data centres. China controls most of the mines and the processing. Trump wants to change that. His plan, like much of his foreign policy, is both bold and belated.
I’ve worked for 20 years as a lawyer on minerals deals in Congo, and seen Chinese flags rise over project after project – roads, mines, factories – while Washington and the West have retreated to the sidelines.
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