The Rising Geopolitical Competition for Critical Minerals in Africa:Motivation,Characteristics and Impact
Critical minerals are the key to energy transformation and green transformation,which are crucial to a country's economic development,national security and international competitiveness.This reality is shaping the current competition among major powers in Africa with plentiful resources.Western companies are still dominating the mining of African minerals,including critical minerals.China's investment share in African minerals is still low,and it is relatively concentrated in critical minerals such as cobalt,cooper and lithium etc.However,China has built strong advantage in global critical mineral supply chain by being the center of global refining,trade and market of critical minerals.The ongoing geopolitical competition for Africa's critical minerals can be defined with three points.The first is the systemic competition,which is manifested in the competition between U.S.-led Critical Minerals Alliance and China's critical mineral supply chain system.The second is differential competition,which results from the strategic differences between China and the West,as well as the difference among the West such as the U S and the European Union.The third is instrumental competition,the profound phenomenon of which is the rising weaponization and politicalization of critical minerals.The competition among major powers is creating a complex relationship between major powers and Africa,and exerting multiple impacts on supply chain security,Africa's development,and China-Africa cooperation.This change has brought new and uncertain challenges to China-Africa cooperation,but it also highlights the necessity of strategic coordination between China and Africa.
Africa's critical mineralsgreat power competitionenergy transitionCritical Minerals Alliancesupply chain
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