• Exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the U.S. reached $1.3 billion between January and July 2025, more than the total of 2017–2024 combined.

• The surge coincides with the U.S.–China trade war, which redirected Congolese minerals directly to the American market.

• The U.S. trade deficit with the DRC widened to over $1 billion by July 2025, compared to just $96 million in 2024.

Exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United States reached $1.3 billion in the first seven months of 2025, according to U.S. government data. The figure already exceeds the cumulative total of the previous eight years (2017–2024).

The Bureau of the Census said shipments peaked between April and July, when the DRC sent more than $1 billion worth of goods. June alone nearly hit $400 million, the highest monthly level on record.

Previous export peaks were $605.6 million in 2011, $527.6 million in 2010, and $400.7 million in 1985, making the 2025 surge unprecedented in at least four decades.

The U.S. Census Bureau did not provide reasons for the surge. However, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) attributed it to sustained U.S. demand for African raw materials and trade diversion effects.

The timing coincides with Washington’s tariff escalation against Beijing. In April 2025, the Trump administration raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% before lowering them to an average of 57.6%. UNECA suggested that Chinese firms operating in the DRC, which usually exported minerals to China for processing, redirected shipments directly to the U.S. market.

The hypothesis gains weight as the DRC faces average U.S. tariffs of just 11%, while copper — its main export — is exempt. Between January and July, U.S. copper imports totaled $11.3 billion, up 135.4% year-on-year. Although not broken down by country, the DRC, the world’s second-largest copper producer with more than 3 million tonnes mined in 2024, is likely a major contributor.

UNECA also noted that higher global commodity prices supported the performance. Gold prices rose more than 60% between January 2024 and July 2025, while coffee prices nearly doubled. Both commodities, though exported in smaller volumes, regularly feature in DRC shipments to the U.S.

This export boom sharply widened the U.S. trade deficit with the DRC. By end-July 2025, the deficit surpassed $1 billion, compared with just $96 million in 2024.

The expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) on September 30, which since 2000 had eliminated tariffs on more than 6,800 African products, is expected to have only a limited impact on the trend.

This article was initially published in French by Pierre Mukoko

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum