The US and EU countered China's BRI in Africa's copper belt. It fell apart in under a year.

Quick Overview

The US and EU counter-efforts to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Africa's copper belt, exemplified by the Lobito Corridor project, are struggling financially and logistically, with US funding proving unpredictable and EU commitments not fully realized, suggesting China's existing infrastructure and supply chains, like the TAZARA railway, maintain a significant advantage.

Key Points: The Lobito Corridor, a US-EU championed alternative to China's BRI, faces funding instability due to US political uncertainty, exemplified by the Trump administration freezing $18 billion for NY transit projects. The TAZARA railway, a pre-existing Chinese-backed line connecting Zambia's Copperbelt to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, is being upgraded by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) under a 30-year build-operate-transfer model. Chinese corporations already control significant portions of DRC's copper and cobalt mines (e.g., 72% of DRC cobalt/copper), creating strong incentives to use Chinese-controlled logistics like TAZARA. The Lobito Corridor's initial phase involves refurbishing 1,300 km of railway linking Angola to the DRC mining heartland, with a proposed second phase to link Zambia. The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is conducting due diligence for a $250 million package, while the EU committed €972 million for African infrastructure, including Lobito Corridor development. An expert noted that if the US withdraws support, African nations prefer China's reliable financial backing and established supply chains, giving China a competitive advantage. The expert predicted that once Chinese-controlled TAZARA is upgraded, there won't be much product transported to the West via the Lobito route, as Chinese-owned businesses will patronize their own rail line.

Context: This video analyzes the geopolitical and economic competition between Western powers (US/EU) and China for influence in Africa, specifically focusing on access to critical minerals like copper and cobalt in the Central African Copperbelt (DRC and Zambia). The competition centers around financing and developing competing infrastructure projects, primarily the Lobito Corridor (Western-backed) versus existing Chinese infrastructure like the TAZARA railway.