• Chinese firms set to join $1.24B TAZARA rail upgrade as shareholders
• Project strengthens China-backed route for copper exports via Tanzania
• Rival Lobito Corridor backed by U.S., EU faces viability concerns

Chinese mining giants Zijin Mining and CMOC are set to take part in the modernization of the TAZARA rail corridor, a China-backed project that several analysts have described as a serious rival to the U.S.-supported Lobito Corridor.

Valued at $1.24 billion, the TAZARA renovation aims to ease congestion on road networks linking Zambia and southern Democratic Republic of Congo, which handle most mineral cargo transported to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam.

According to information released last week, the two mining groups, alongside Jiayou International Logistics and COSCO Shipping Holdings, are joining China Civil Engineering Construction (CCECC) as shareholders in the project. Under the agreement, CCECC will hold an 80% stake and oversee construction, while each of the other partners will hold 5% and contribute proportionally to the project’s financing.

The transaction still requires approval from the Chinese government. Beyond financing, the integration of CMOC and Zijin would ultimately support a broader strategy of building a complete logistics chain, from mineral extraction to transport. CMOC, through its Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu mines, alone accounted for 21.9% of the DRC's total copper exports in 2025. Zijin, for its part, controls a 39.6% stake in Kamoa-Kakula, the country's largest copper complex.

Competition Over Copper Export Routes

By joining the TAZARA modernization effort, the two mining companies are contributing to the consolidation of Chinese positions amid broader rivalry among major powers over critical mineral export routes.

The United States and the European Union, meanwhile, are pressing ahead with plans for the Lobito Corridor. Presented as a potential rival to TAZARA, the infrastructure aims to connect mining zones in the DRC and Zambia to the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic Ocean, through the rehabilitation of rail and logistics infrastructure. The goal is to offer a faster export route for strategic minerals, reducing costs and transit times while opening up the Copperbelt to wider markets.

For Washington and its partners, the project is a lever for directing more mineral flows toward Western markets. That orientation is reflected in the mining cooperation agreement reached between Washington and Kinshasa last December. According to Bankable, the deal stipulates that over the next five years, 50% of copper, 30% of cobalt and 90% of zinc marketed by DRC state mining companies will transit through the Congolese section of the corridor.

Despite its strengths and progress to date, Lobito remains a project whose economic viability is still subject to question. In a report published last year, the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) highlighted the risk of high shipping costs and limited support from mining operators. Similar concerns were raised by IRIS, which also pointed to the absence of a transnational public authority responsible for governing the project.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou