Month: April 2026

Two significant decisions within eight days made by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reflect the current state of its mining industry, where Chinese companies have emerged as preferred partners. On March 19, DR Congo’s Mining Registry announced the cancellation of mining permits held by Australia’s AVZ Minerals for non-payment of surface rights fees. It was the second cancellation in three years suffered by the company in DR Congo after its Manono lithium concession was revoked by the government in 2023. It has 30 days to appeal the…

China is doubling down on mega chemical plants to secure the “industrial gold” needed for its green technology and to scale the coal-based production of chemicals whose global supply is stalled by conflict in the Middle East. On March 20, construction began on the world’s largest coal-to-ethylene glycol project in Xinjiang’s Turpan prefecture, which is expected to produce 2.4 million tonnes per year, according to state news agency Xinhua. China’s first 100,000-tonne/year solution process-based polyolefin elastomer (POE) industrial plant using entirely domestic technology entered a critical commissioning stage at state-owned…