DRC: Cobalt’s Silent Cartel: China, Kinshasa and the DRC Export Quota

Oct 1, 2026 | Arman Sidhu
Geopolitical Monitor
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Zijin Mining, one of China’s largest mining companies, disclosed in its half-year report that flooding at the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could cut its share of 2026 output by as much as 57,000 tonnes, an announcement that helped keep copper above $14,000 per tonne, near its record high. The disclosure shows how concentrated the exposure has become: a production problem at a single Congolese mine, operated through a Chinese joint venture, now moves the global price of the metal underpinning electrification and AI infrastructure.