China has become the dominant player in Africa’s mining industry, driven by its need for resources to fuel its economy. Over the past two decades, Chinese companies have invested heavily in Africa, securing access to essential minerals like cobalt, lithium, copper, and iron ore. Not only that, but China has significantly increased its processing capabilities for critical minerals, solidifying its dominance in the global supply chain. While Africa is rich in raw materials like cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, China has strategically positioned itself as the primary processor of these minerals, ensuring control over the value-added stages of production. We recently saw rare earths dominate the news, with President Trump trying to secure its supply of rare earths as ‘compensation’ for its continued support for Ukraine in its bloody war with Russia. China dominates rare earth processing, handling 85–90% of global refined rare earths despite mining only around 60% of the world’s supply.

At the recent mining Indaba in Cape Town, we spoke to several mining executives and analysts about China’s dominance in the sector and how the West is trying to play catch up. The below film was produced for interactive investor