• Chinese firm Dowstone Technology to invest $165 million in a new copper smelter in the DRC.

• China imported 36% of its copper from the DRC in 2024, up from 10% in 2020.

• The DRC government seeks to reduce reliance on Chinese mining partners, who control 80% of operations.

Chinese battery materials producer Dowstone Technology will build a $165 million copper smelter in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), further expanding China’s already dominant presence in the country's refined copper sector.

The company announced the project on July 3, stating that the new facility will produce 30,000 tonnes of copper cathodes annually, pending regulatory approval from both Congolese and Chinese authorities.

The investment highlights China’s growing footprint in one of the world’s most critical copper-producing regions. In 2024, the DRC supplied 36% of China’s copper imports, a steep rise from just 10% in 2020. This surge reflects sustained Chinese investment in local copper mining and refining infrastructure.

Dowstone already operates in the DRC and expects its total local capacity to exceed 60,000 tonnes of copper cathodes per year by end-2024. Other Chinese players have also established major copper processing operations in the country. China Nonferrous Mining Corp (CNMC) runs the Lualaba smelter, opened in 2020, with an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes.

In a parallel move, Zijin Mining and CITIC Metal signed long-term off-take agreements with Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines, securing 80% of output from the future Kamoa-Kakula smelter, slated to begin production in September 2025. With a capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year, it will be Africa’s largest copper smelter. Zijin holds a 39.6% stake in the Kamoa-Kakula mine.

These investments have paid off. In 2024, Congolese refined copper exports to China jumped 71% year-on-year, reaching 1.48 million tonnes.

China remains the world’s largest consumer and refiner of copper and other strategic minerals. The DRC, Africa’s leading copper producer and the second-largest globally, is a key part of Beijing’s supply chain strategy.

However, the Congolese government has expressed concern over its heavy reliance on Chinese investors. According to Marcellin Paluku, deputy director at the Ministry of Mines, 80% of DRC mining operations involve Chinese partners, which poses a “risk” to the economy.

To address this, Kinshasa is actively seeking to diversify its mining partnerships, targeting countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia. Whether this pivot will affect the pace or scale of future Chinese investments remains uncertain.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou