Launched a decade ago, China’s Road and Belt Initiative is a colossal infrastructure and economic development project spanning across Asia, Europe, and Africa. To date, 52 African governments signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with China regarding the BRI and the initiative has translated into billions of dollars invested in the construction of roads, ports, railways, and other critical infrastructure. These projects are not only enhancing connectivity within the continent but also providing China with unprecedented access to Africa’s vast mineral wealth, particularly in countries like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (more than 80% of copper mines in the DRC for instance are already Chinese-owned), which boast abundant reserves of copper and other essential minerals. Overall, China has spent more than a trillion dollars in projects at least partly intended to secure the supply of resources key to the energy transition.
In an attempt to counter this influence, the US is injecting millions into the Lobito Corridor project. Indeed, sourcing the metals to fuel the energy transition remains a headache for Western countries. The commodity trade consortium Trafigura asserts that the Lobito Atlantic Railway will “provide a quicker western route to market for metal and minerals produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” The project entails the construction of approximately 550 km of rail line in Zambia, from the Jimbe border to Chingola in the Zambian copper belt, along with 260 km of feeder roads within the corridor. Moving those valuable resources from the Central African copper belt to Western markets is key for the US and Europe, particularly as the energy transition unfolds.
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled plans to invest in a new railway project that will link the copper-rich regions of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Angolan port of Lobito. With the 120-year-old Benguela railway, the US plans for the resources to go west (through the Lobito Corridor) rather than the traditional eastern route via the Dar El Salaam port. The railway hopes to connect to the port in Lobito, ensuring smooth traffic flow and establishing a significant trade route from the Congolese copper belt to the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, the improved railway line will facilitate the transportation of essential goods and resources into the region, fostering business development and commercial activities. In September, on the margins of the G20 in India, the US and the EU teamed up to launch feasibility studies for a new greenfield rail line expansion between Zambia and Angola.
Source: geopoliticalmirror.com