Any Chinese company linked to the CCP is corrupt, immoral and have no ethics. They are also thieves who prey on the vunerable and don't give a damn about the countries they operate in.
Market: fall in the prices of the main minerals exported by the DRC
The prices of the main raw materials exported by the Democratic Republic of Congo have generally fallen on the international market, indicates the Central Bank of Congo.
Copper fell 2.1% to $8,805.9 per ton.
The price of cobalt continued its downward trend during the four consecutive weeks of the current month of February.
It is established at 33,760.00 USD per ton, a decrease of 4.3%.
In monthly footfall, the two major commodities fell 6.0% and 30.5% respectively.
According to the Ministry of Mines, the Democratic Republic of Congo produced a total of 2,515,846.74 tonnes of copper and 115,371.31 tonnes of cobalt in 2022.
Since 2020, copper exports have increased by 14.4% to reach a level of more than 10 billion USD, or 68.3% of total exports.
This increase reflects the simultaneous effect of the increase in prices on international markets.
This drop in prices is bad business for the DRC.
China to increase control over global cobalt supply — report
China is poised to increase its control over the global cobalt supply, according to a report by Darton Commodities, a UK-based cobalt trader.
Over the next two years, China’s share of cobalt production is expected to reach half of global output, up from 44% at present, Darton said.
Chinese refining activity reached 140,000 tonnes in 2022, giving the country a 77% global share of refining capacity.
The price of the metal hit a 32-month low this month amid a surge in production.
Global mine production grew 42% between 2020 and 2022 as covid-19 related supply chain constraints eased, existing operations ramped up and several new mines were commissioned.
Glencore Plc was by far the world’s largest cobalt miner last year, mainly from its two operations in Congo.
Eurasian Resources Group and China’s CMOC Group Ltd., which also have large Congo operations, followed the Swiss company as the biggest producers.
Global supplies are expected to surge to around 210,000 tonnes this year, up 24% from 2022, while demand is forecast to rise 8% to 205,000 tonnes, according to the report.
Liberum analyst Tom Price told Reuters that prices are expected to average $54,840 a tonne this year and $50,320 in 2024, compared with $63,739 last year.
“A lot of things converged at the same time to push the market down: the relaxation of logistics issues, weak consumer electronic sales and a technology shift towards lower or no cobalt EV batteries,” Caspar Rawles, chief data officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, told the Financial Times.
Cobalt prices could fall further if Tenke Fungurume, the world’s second-largest cobalt mine owned by CMOC, is allowed to resume exports from the DRC after a tax dispute led to an export ban last July.
The company has kept producing despite the ban, stockpiling 10,000 to 12,000 tonnes of the metal.
mining.com
In 2006, batteries accounted for 26pc of lithium demand.
By 2026 it will be 90pc
As the main component of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and stationary battery systems, lithium is considered the backbone of most green energy technologies.
Until the next technological advances are achieved, the light metal will be the driving force behind the ‘battery era’ over the next decade.
According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence the battery industry is set to extend its dominance of the lithium market to such a point that by 2026 it will account for 90% of demand.
In a matter of twenty years, the astronomical growth in electric vehicle adoption has seen the battery industry grow from a relatively small consumer to become the markets primary driver.
And the race to secure supplies is far from over yet.
UBS says China’s efforts to increase uptake could see it account for nearly a third of the world’s supply by the middle of the decade.
The bank expects Chinese-controlled mines, including projects in Africa, to raise output to 705,000t by 2025, from 194,000t in 2022.
mining.com
*This drop in prices is bad business for the DRC. 
*Don't forget the Tin you DRC Turkey's $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Food for thought Felix
Frank
