US lawmakers urged to stop China’s critical minerals ‘exploitation’ of DR Congo

House subcommittee hears that the cobalt-rich African nation’s population is suffering as ruling elites and their partners profit

Reading Time:3 minutes

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s biggest source of cobalt, a vital component of the batteries used in electric vehicles and phones, accounting for around 70 per cent of global production. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:03pm, 26 Mar 2025Updated: 2:19pm, 26 Mar 2025

Witnesses at a US House of Representatives hearing on Tuesday urged Washington to step in to counter what they described as China’s exploitation of corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Their testimony comes at the same time as US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a deal with the Central African nation to combat China’s dominance in the minerals supply chain.

“The biggest obstacle to eliminating mining abuses is the system of kleptocracy in the DRC,” said Sasha Lezhnev, a policy adviser at The Sentry, a Washington-based non-profit founded in 2016 by George Clooney and other Hollywood stars.

Lezhnev told the subcommittee hearing convened by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that “the system of state capture allows ruling elites and their commercial partners to personally profit while leaving the population to suffer”.

The US should take steps to stop China’s “illicit exploitation” in the country, he added.

DR Congo is by far the world’s biggest source of cobalt, a vital component of the batteries used in electric vehicles and phones, accounting for around 70 per cent of global production.