China Quietly Took Over Africa's Copper — the Metal Behind Every EV

Every electric car, power grid and data center runs on copper — and an EV needs about 4× the copper of a gas car. So the real question behind the electric age is simple: who controls the copper? Increasingly, the answer is China — in the heart of Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia sit on the Central African Copperbelt, now the world's #2 copper source. The DRC alone produced roughly 3.3 million tonnes, overtaking Peru. And Chinese companies quietly took over its biggest mines: CMOC's Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu together account for around 45% of Congo's copper exports — over $7 billion in a single year. Next door in Zambia, China has poured more than $5 billion into copper. Africa digs the metal that builds the future. China increasingly walks away with the control of it. Copper, cobalt, lithium — the continent that holds the raw materials of the electric age is watching outside powers lock up the supply chain. Smart long game by Beijing — or should Africa keep more of its own copper? Follow Money Maps for more geopolitics, mapped. #Congo #Zambia #Copper #China #Africa #EVs #CriticalMinerals #Geopolitics #Shorts