China’s role in ongoing conflicts in mineral-rich Africa will come under House scrutiny this week, and discussions are likely to touch on potential minerals-for-security deals with the United States.
A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing Tuesday on metals, minerals, mining and how China “fuels conflict and exploitation in Africa,” according to a release. Groups focused on fighting resource corruption, including Accountable Africa, are slated to appear.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who chairs the Subcommittee on Africa, has for years highlighted Chinese investments in the continent’s mining sector and raised concerns about human rights.
“On the backs of trafficked workers and child laborers, the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting the vast cobalt resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo to fuel its economy and global agenda,” Smith said in 2023.
