Great Power Competition for DRC Critical Minerals

 Bankable posted on 7 April 2026 a commentary titled "Zijin, CMOC Back Competing Alternative to Lobito Corridor" by Pierre Mukoko.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and four Chinese companies are financing a $1.4 billion project to rehabilitate the Tanzania-Zambia railway that will transport critical minerals from the DRC to the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam.

The Tanzania-Zambia railway will compete with the American and European Lobito Corridor project that will transport critical minerals from the DRC to an Atlantic Ocean port in Angola.  

Indian Ocean: Economic and Strategic Corridors

 The Emirates Policy Center posted on 27 February 2026 an analysis titled "The Economics of Deterrence: How Corridors and Alliances Are Reshaping Geopolitics" by Ebtesam AlKetbi.  

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are frameworks for redistributing centers of gravity and influence, diversifying states' strategic options, and embedding long-term investment commitments.

The world is shifting from rigid alignments to flexible alliances that integrate economy and technology with digital and maritime security.  Power is no longer defined solely by territorial control but by the management of flows--trade, energy, data, and capital.  A state that positions itself as a central node within these networks gains strategic weight.

In the Indian Ocean region, both the Indian-led IMEC and the better known and more expansive Chinese BRI are efforts to achieve these objectives.

Chinese Company to Rehab Tanzania-Zambia Railway

Business Insider Africa published on 29 September 2025 an article titled "China Strikes $1.4 Billion Deal with Zambia, Tanzania for Railway Upgrade" by Adekunle Agbetiloye.   

The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation has signed an agreement to modernize the Tanzania-Zambia Railway and then manage it for 30 years.  The $1.4 billion deal includes new locomotives, freight cars, and passenger vehicles.  

A Ride Today on The Chinese-built Tanzania-Zambia Railway

 New Lines Magazine published on 19 June 2025 an article titled "The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Tracks the History of the Cold War" by Kang-Chun Cheng.

This is the account by a foreigner who made the trip on the Tanzania Zambia Railway from Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri Mposhi, a couple of hours outside Lusaka, Zambia.  China financed and built the 1,150-mile-long railway during the Cultural Revolution in the 1970s.  During the Cold War, it was China's largest foreign aid project in Africa.  

Funding for Premier US Infrastructure Project in Africa Threatened by USAID Dismantlement

 Railway Supply published on 18 February 2025 an article titled "Lobito Corridor Railway Project Faces Uncertainty Amid US Aid Freeze."

The signature infrastructure project in Africa of the Biden administration, the Lobito corridor railway designed to link copper mines in the DRC and Zambia with the Angolan port of Lobito, faces uncertainty as US funding by USAID and the US International Development Finance Corporation is frozen by the Trump administration.  This creates an opportunity for global competitors, especially China.  

Chinese Companies Win Contract to Build $2 Billion Railway between Burundi and Tanzania

 The Global Business Council published on 30 January 2025 an article titled "Tanzania and Burundi Award $2B Contract to Chinese Firms to Design and Build Regional Rail."

China Engineering Construction Group and China Railway Design and Consulting Group won the $2.15 billion contract to design and build the 282-kilometer-long railway between Uvinza in Tanzania and a nickel mine between Musongati and Gitenga in Burundi.  The railway will connect to an existing line in Tanzania that continues to the port of Dar es Salaam.  The African Development Bank is financing the project. Nickel is a critical mineral in the manufacture of electric vehicles.  

China Finances Rehab of Tan-Zam Railway

 Nanyang Technological University posted on 28 October 2024 an article titled "China to Revive East African Railway as Scramble over African Resources Intensifies."  

China signed a memorandum of conversation to upgrade at a cost of more than $1 billion the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) originally constructed with an interest free loan from China in the 1970s.  The line, designed to move copper from Zambia to the port of Dar es Salaam on Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast, has deteriorated and is operating at a fraction of its potential.

TAZARA will also compete in the years ahead with a new US and EU funded railway that will move minerals from the mining areas of Zambia and the DRC to the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic coast.

China Expands Engagement in Morocco

 Al-Monitor published on 20 October 2024 an article titled "What's Behind China's Deepening Engagement with Morocco?" by Sabena Siddiqui.

Chinese companies are winning contracts to expand Morocco's high speed rail system and signed a $6.4 billion memorandum of understanding to construct an EV battery "gigafactory" near Rabat.  There is growing Chinese investment in Morocco's ICT sector.  In 2022, China became Morocco's third largest trading partner.

China's Railway Politics in Africa

 Global China Pulse published on 2 October 2024 a discussion titled "The Railpolitik: A Conversation with Yuan Wang" hosted by Hong Zhang, Indiana University.

The discussion deals with Yuan Wang's recent book on the political context in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Angola where Chinese funding and contractors have been involved in building high-profile railway projects promising to transform the local landscape.  She identifies as a key factor the instrumentalization of the infrastructure by local leaders for the sake of their political survival.  

Angola: How the US Can Compete with China and Russia in Africa

 The Washington Post published on 27 January 2024 an article titled "U.S. Deepens Ties with Angola, a Model for Washington's Ties to Africa" by Michael Birnbaum.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently completed a visit to Angola where he highlighted the significant U.S. engagement with the country, including partnering with European countries in the infrastructure sector, once an area dominated by China. The U.S.-Angola relationship demonstrates how Washington can improve ties with African countries without directly challenging China or Russia.

Comment:  Angola is admittedly an easier country than many in Africa for the United States to develop this kind of strong partnership.  It is rich in oil and thus able to repay loans.  Although the same political party has been in power since achieving independence in 1975, it now functions under a multiparty system with some possibility for opposition parties to gain power.    

The Pluses and Minuses of China's Railway Construction in Africa

 The Wilson Center in Washington posted on 19 October 2023 a commentary titled "Chinese Rail Export's Environmental Dilemma: Economic Gains or Green?" by Kenen Zhu.  

While Chinese-built railways bring positive benefits to Africa, they also pose social and environmental risks.  The use of combustion train engines in Kenya contributes to pollution.  The Mombasa to Nairobi train has also siphoned commerce away from the parallel highway and displaced local economies.  

Controversy Over China's Loan Agreements with Kenya for Railway Construction

 The Conversation published on 10 November 2022 a commentary titled "Kenya Standard Gauge Railway Contracts: What Released Documents Say, And What They Don't" by Deborah Brautigam.  

The three loan contracts recently released by the government of Kenya establish that Mombasa Port was not in any way pledged as collateral for the Chinese loans in the event of Kenyan default.

Comments on Kenya's Railway Loan with China

 The New York Times published on 8 November 2022 an article titled "Kenya Discloses Part of Secret Railway Contract with China" by Abdi Latif Dahir.

Kenya has disclosed some details of the 2014 loan agreement with China for construction of its standard gauge railway from Mombasa to Nairobi and beyond.  The terms of the loan seem to favor China.  The full contract has not yet been made public.

More China-Kenya Railway Contracts Made Public

 The Nation published on 7 November 2022 the text of three contracts in connection with the financing of the standard gauge railway under the title "Read PDFs of SGR Contracts Released by Murkomen."  

The three contracts are the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR Buyer Credit Loan Agreement, Nairobi-Naivasha SGR Buyer Credit Loan Agreement, and Preferential Buyer Credit Loan Agreement.  The accompanying explanation said "details of the collateral Kenya put up--reported by the media, led by the Nation, as being the Port of Mombasa and other assets of the Kenya Port Authority--were missing."

Comment:  The collateral issue has been the most controversial aspect  of the SGR loan arrangements between Kenya and China.  It is not clear from this statement if the Nation stands by its earlier assertion that the Port of Mombasa is collateral in the event of default on the loan.  

The China Africa Research Initiative published a paper in April 2022 titled "How Africa Borrows from China: And Why Mombasa Port is Not Collateral for Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway."

Video of Kenya's China-built and Financed Railway

 KTN News recently posted a ten-minute video titled "SGR Gravy Train: What Kind of Deal Did Kenya and China Get Into to Have the SGR Project?"

This is a critical look at the Chinese-built and financed standard gauge railway from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean Coast to Nairobi and beyond.  

Text of China's Loan to Kenya for Standard Gauge Railway

The Wall Street Journal recently published a six-minute video titled "Kenya's Chinese-Built Railway Shows Why Belt and Road Is Being Reworked" by George Downs. The $3.6 Billion railway that was built with Chinese loans has struggled to be profitable.  It is an example why China is reevaluating its Belt and Road Initiative.

The government of Kenya has just released the text of the controversial 11 May 2014 "Preferential Buyer Credit Loan Agreement on Kenya Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway Project" between the government of Kenya and the Export-Import Bank of China.

The Star published on 6 November 2022 an article titled "I Have Exclusively Obtained SGR Contract, Says Murkomen" by Felix Kipkemoi.

Kenya's Roads, Transport, and Public Works Cabinet Secretary released the loan agreement to the public.  He said he would also track down and release the even more controversial contract for the standard gauge railway.  

Likely Agenda Items for Tanzanian President's Visit to China

 The South China Morning Post published on 1 October 2022 an article titled "Tanzania's Hassan Makes State Visit to China with Projects on Her Mind" by Jevans Nyabiage.

The suspended $10 billion Bagamoyo Port and special economic zone will almost certainly be on the agenda of talks with Chinese officials during the visit by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.  The status of other infrastructure projects and the party-to-party relationship will also likely be high on the list for discussion.  

Critical Infrastructure in China's Africa Strategy

 The National Bureau of Asian Research published on 3 May 2022 a major study titled "(In) Roads and Outposts: Critical Infrastructure in China's Africa Strategy" edited by Nadege Rolland.

It examines the implications of China's growing presence in African ports, railways, industrial parks, information and telecommunication networks, and power generation.  It has chapters by Isaac Kardon on ports, Yunnan Chen on railways, Daria Impiombato on telecommunications, Erica Downs on power, and Thierry Pairault on industrial parks.  

Are Kenya's Ports Threatened by a Potential Default on Chinese Loans?

 The China Africa Research Institute (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University published in April 2022 a working paper titled "How Africa Borrows from China: And Why Mombasa Port Is Not Collateral for Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway" by Deborah Brautigam, Vijay Bhalaki, Laure Deron, and Yinxuan Wang. 

In 2018, Kenya's auditor general warned that Kenya Ports Authority's assets--of which Mombasa Port is the most valuable--risked being taken over by China Eximbank if Kenya defaulted on loans for Kenya's Chinese-built standard gauge railway.

CARI assembled a scholar-practitioner team, which concluded after an extensive study that China is not going to seize Mombasa port or any port. 

Comment:  A response from Kenya's auditor general or some appropriate Kenyan authority would constitute a useful contribution at this point.    

Chinese-built Railways Save Lives in Nigeria

 The International Centre for Investigative Reporting published on 22 March 2022 an article titled "How Chinese-built Railway Projects Are Easing Mobility, Saving Lives in Nigeria" by Niyi Oyedeji. 

Chinese financed and built railways in Nigeria have moved passengers from dangerous highways and contributed to safer travel.  There are, however, concerns about loan repayments to China.   

No sooner did this article appear than another came out in The Cable on 29 March 2022 titled "NRC Suspends Abuja-Kaduna Train Operations after Bomb Attack."

Unknown gunmen blew up a section of track near the end of the Abuja-Kaduna rail service, stopped the train, and then fired on passengers.  Nigeria suspended rail service on this section.