Blue Metal Blues: Cobalt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and China
As global demand for electric vehicles increases, so does competition for the rare metals used in the batteries that power them.
As global demand for electric vehicles increases, so does competition for the rare metals used in the batteries that power them.
China’s state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector is vast and diverse. There are more SOEs in China than companies of all kinds in most African countries, and China’s state sector produces more and has grown faster than sub-Saharan Africa’s entire economy.
In the face of growing tensions between the US and China, Beijing’s relationships with the Global South are taking on particular salience.
It seems unlikely that Djibouti – smaller than Belgium and with fewer than 1 million inhabitants – can expect to enjoy any agency vis-à-vis the Chinese behemoth.
Governments on the continent may be forced to cede control of key assets as Beijing swops debt for equity.
Despite a warm African response to the recent ‘Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against Covid-19’, not much new came out of the virtual meeting. Crucially, there was no movement on cancellation of the $150bn in concessional loan debt.
The sudden recall from South Africa of Chinese ambassador Lin Songtian was initially interpreted as being a demotion. But the contrary appears to be true – it now looks as though his deft use of Twitter has propelled him into another role: A combatant in the growing US-China media confrontation.
The adoption of 5G technology, powered by Chinese tech giant Huawei, has become a game of international geopolitical football with Donald Trump as the self-appointed referee. Africa is set to become an early adopter – but there are political, economic and security risks attached.
The G20 sees its role as providing a rudder guiding the global economy through choppy seas.
Depending on who you listen to, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is either the end of the world, or the beginning of a much better one. The initiative is a massive rollout of infrastructure aimed at connecting China to other economic centres in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond, and it has become the centrepiece of President Xi Jinping’s foreign policy.