DRC Discusses Major Copper Mega Project With Chinese Partner

The Democratic Republic of Congo is discussing what could become one of the world’s largest copper mining projects as Kinshasa deepens its push to strengthen its position as a global mining powerhouse.

According to Bloomberg, a Chinese state-owned company linked to China Railway Group Ltd. (CREC) recently held talks with Congolese Mines Minister Louis Watum over a proposed mega copper project expected to produce between 200,000 and 500,000 tons of copper annually.

The proposed mine would be located in Kasai-Oriental province, marking a major shift in Congo’s mining geography. Unlike the country’s current major copper operations, concentrated in the Katanga region, this project could transform central Congo into a new strategic mining corridor.

The initiative would reportedly be developed through a joint venture between a CREC subsidiary and MIBA, Congo’s state-owned diamond company. Kasai-Oriental has historically been known as the heart of the country’s diamond industry, but the project could now position the province as an emerging copper hub as well.

The development comes at a time when Congo’s copper output has more than tripled over the past decade, helping cement the country’s status as the world’s second-largest supplier of copper after Chile.

President Félix Tshisekedi is said to be pushing for the project’s rapid realization as the government accelerates efforts to expand industrial production, attract investment, and strengthen Congo’s strategic role in the global energy transition economy.

The project also highlights Congo’s growing geopolitical importance as major global powers compete for access to critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, lithium, and tantalum.

While Chinese companies currently dominate much of Congo’s mining sector, the United States has also increased its engagement with Kinshasa. In December, Tshisekedi’s government signed a minerals partnership with Washington, granting American investors preferential access to some of the country’s vast mineral reserves.

Analysts say the latest discussions show that the DRC is increasingly positioning itself not just as a supplier of raw materials, but as a central strategic actor in the future global economy driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy, and critical mineral supply chains.

CREC already has a significant footprint in Congo through Sicomines, one of the country’s largest mining ventures established under the minerals-for-infrastructure agreement between Congo and China nearly two decades ago.

If finalized, the new copper mega project could further accelerate Congo’s rise as one of the world’s most important mining and industrial frontiers.