“Between 29 April and 6 May, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi visited Zambia, Angola, Kenya and South Africa. At a press conference the day before his departure, he said: ‘I intend to enhance cooperation and collaboration to strengthen supply chain resilience by pursuing resource diplomacy with African countries that are rich in critical minerals and other resources’.”
“Zambia and Angola, which were both part of the trip, are well known as resource-rich nations. Northern Zambia contains the Copperbelt region, which produces copper, cobalt and other critical minerals. Angola, meanwhile, is one of Africa’s major oil-producing countries and possesses abundant diamond and rare earth resources. In the past, it maintained extremely close economic ties with China, which has shown a strong interest in Angolan crude oil.”
“In recent years, as the development potential of cobalt resources in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has attracted widespread attention, the US and the European Union have also actively participated in the construction of the Lobito Corridor linking Angola, the DRC and Zambia. The project includes the restoration of the approximately 1,300-kilometre Lobito Atlantic Railway (formerly the Benguela Railway), as well as plans to build a new rail branch extending about 800 kilometres into Zambia. At the same time, the project encompasses large-scale solar power projects in Angola and Zambia, as well as cooperation on digital infrastructure such as fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications networks.”
“Coinciding with Motegi’s African tour, China’s General Administration of Customs announced on 28 April that from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2028, imports from 20 eligible African countries would enjoy zero tariffs. Together with the 33 African countries that had already received tariff-free treatment for all tariff categories since 1 December 2024, China will effectively implement zero tariffs on imports from all African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. Besides differentiating itself from US tariff policies, the move also appears to subtly respond to Japan’s evolving FOIP [Free and Open Indo-Pacific] vision centred on economic security.”
https://www.thinkchina.sg/politics/japan-china-and-race-africas-critical-minerals