The United States is taking proactive steps to strengthen its position in the global strategic minerals market by forging new, multifaceted partnerships. Amid intensifying competition for access to vital rare and industrial minerals, Washington is focusing on collaboration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—a key global supplier of cobalt, copper, and lithium.

The Chinese mining company MMG Ltd. has decided to temporarily close its new cobalt processing plant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) less than 15 months after its launch. This decision was driven by a historic decline in cobalt prices, a metal critical for electric vehicle battery production.