DR Congo Could Host One of the World’s Biggest Copper Mines as China Expands Critical Minerals Footprint
The Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon host one of the world’s largest copper mines under a proposal by a subsidiary of China Railway Group, as global competition for critical minerals intensifies between China and the United States.
A unit of the Chinese state-owned company, known as CREC, met with Congolese Mines Minister Louis Watum on Thursday to discuss a major mining project expected to produce between 200,000 and 500,000 metric tonnes of copper annually, according to statements issued by the ministry.
If developed at the upper end of projected capacity, the mine would rank among the world’s largest copper operations, further strengthening Congo’s position as a global mining powerhouse.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has more than tripled copper production over the past decade, becoming the world’s second-largest supplier of the industrial metal after Chile.
Copper is increasingly viewed as a strategic mineral due to its critical role in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, battery technologies, and global infrastructure development.
While Chinese companies currently dominate much of Congo’s copper sector, the United States has intensified efforts to expand its influence in the country’s rapidly growing critical minerals industry amid escalating geopolitical competition with China.
Unlike Congo’s major copper mines, which are concentrated in the mineral-rich Katanga region in the southeast, the proposed project would be located in Kasai-Oriental Province, traditionally regarded as the heart of the country’s diamond industry.
According to the Congolese Ministry of Mines, the development would be structured as a joint venture between a CREC subsidiary and MIBA, a state-owned diamond company.
President Felix Tshisekedi is reportedly keen to see the project move forward quickly, although authorities have not yet disclosed the investment value or construction timeline.
Congo’s largest existing copper mines include CMOC Group’s Tenke Fungurume mine, which produced approximately 519,000 tonnes of copper last year, and the Kamoa-Kakula joint venture operated by Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining, which produced around 400,000 tonnes in 2025.
CREC already maintains a significant presence in Congo’s mining industry through its stake in Sicomines, a major copper venture created nearly two decades ago under the country’s multibillion-dollar minerals-for-infrastructure agreement with China. Sicomines produced almost 250,000 tonnes of copper last year.
The Chinese company also holds an interest in a smaller copper mining operation known as COMILU, further expanding its footprint in Congo’s strategic mining sector.
The proposed development comes as the Tshisekedi administration strengthens ties with Washington on critical minerals cooperation.
Congo signed a minerals partnership agreement with the United States in December that grants American investors increased access to the country’s vast reserves of copper, cobalt, lithium, and tantalum.
The central African nation has become increasingly important to efforts by President Donald Trump to reduce US dependence on Chinese-controlled mineral supply chains and secure strategic resources essential for the global energy transition and advanced manufacturing industries.
