China has banned the export of several critical minerals to the US. Announced and implemented on December 3, the move covers minerals like gallium and germanium. It is a response to U.S. restrictions on technology sales to China. This is good news for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which could position itself as a rival of China as a germanium supplier.

The DRC aims to supply 30% of the global germanium demand, according to Gécamines, the State-owned mining company leading this effort. In a July 2023 interview with Reuters, Gécamines President Guy Robert Lukama said Chinese restrictions present opportunities for the DRC. China's earlier measures had already disrupted supplies of critical minerals such as germanium. 

“The move by China will create some scarcity in the market, which means that our germanium which is not yet committed could have more value [...]There are no customers yet, but there is interest, it's been there since we started the project and we are quite sure that we will get more interest on our germanium shortly.”

In May 2024, Gécamines announced a partnership with Belgium's Umicore to process germanium from the "Big Hill" tailings site in Lubumbashi. The first germanium concentrate exports to Belgium started in October 2024. Increased disruptions from Beijing's recent measures may help Gécamines attract more customers and encourage investment in other Congolese tailings sites. 

The Lubumbashi hydrometallurgical plant, which has an annual production capacity of 30 tonnes of germanium, was built with a $75 million investment and is expected to be completed in 2023. In addition to germanium, the plant will produce zinc oxide, copper, and cobalt.

Emiliano Tossou