DRC will take advantage of China’s export limits on rare metals amid global supply concerns

Congo aims to capitalize on increased germanium demand, created by export limits on gallium and germanium recently imposed by China, by establishing a new production unit, positioning itself as a valuable source of the semiconductor material.
Invoking national security concerns, Beijing on Monday (4 July) announced export limits on select gallium and germanium components, raising concerns about global supply chain disruptions for semiconductor and defense industries. With China’s dominance in the production of the two obscure yet crucial metals, other countries like Australia, Europe, and the United States are exploring opportunities to develop their own projects in order to reduce their reliance on Chinese supply. Experts warn that China’s move is only the latest stage of an escalating trade war on technology with the US and Europe.
According to Gecamines, a Congolese state miner, China’s restrictions on the export of germanium goods would increase the price of the semiconductor material, adding value for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as it prepares a new unit to produce the rare metal. “We will produce germanium (to replace material) that’s unavailable for the market,” Gecamines’ chairman Guy Robert Lukama said. Germanium ores are rare and most germanium is a by-product of zinc production and from coal fly ash. China reportedly produces around 60% of the world’s germanium, with the remaining 40% coming from Canada, Finland, Russia, and the United States. DRC, currently the largest producer of copper and cobalt in Africa, intends to search for minerals like lithium, tin, and rare earth that can help the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy.