China’s supply chain meets the wall of African resource nationalism
As resource-rich nations introduce export bans and other limits, analyst says investment may not automatically follow
Resource-rich African nations are increasingly asserting control over critical minerals to maximise domestic returns, sending global prices soaring and exerting pressure on Chinese supply chains.
The country had originally planned to impose the ban in 2027 to encourage more local value-added processing of the mineral but the government brought the ban forward as miners ramped up production and exports of the unrefined output.
In a post-cabinet briefing on March 3, Zimbabwean Mines Minister Polite Kambamura said the ban was brought forward as companies sought to beat the deadline.
“There was ... an increased appetite for lithium export permits, and the rationale behind it was to export as much product as possible before the notice period,” Kambamura said.
08:58
What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushback
Chinese battery producers, which rely on Zimbabwe for about 15 per cent of their total lithium concentrate supply, were hit particularly hard.