Kritische Mineralien: Wie China durch die Übernahme großer Anteile an weltweiten Minen die Spannungen verschärfte.

China, a country that already holds a leading position in the processing of minerals vital for the green economy, is expanding its participation in these mines worldwide. This is leading to growing tensions between Chinese companies and local communities. According to mining publications as well as corporate, government, and press sources, China has made numerous new mining investments globally in the past decade. The BBC calculated that Chinese companies currently control 33 percent of projects producing lithium or in the production phase of the mineral. However, as Chinese companies grew, they faced allegations of similar abuses often leveled against other international mining giants. The BBC Global China Unit identified at least 62 mining projects worldwide involving Chinese companies targeting the extraction of critical minerals like cobalt, nickel, or manganese. All these minerals are used in the production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, which, alongside solar panels, are now among China’s top industrial priorities. Some of the projects China is involved in are among the largest producers of these minerals globally. China produced over half of all electric vehicles sold worldwide in 2023. According to the London-based think tank Chatham House, China has long been a leader in lithium and cobalt refining, with its share of global supply set to reach 72 percent and 68 percent for each mineral by 2022. Its ability to refine these and other critical minerals has propelled the country to produce over half of the world’s electric vehicles sold by 2023, own 60 percent of global wind power production capacity, and control 80 percent of all steps in the solar panel supply chain. China’s role in processing these artifacts has made them more affordable and accessible worldwide. However, China is not the only country that needs to extract and process the minerals necessary for a green economy. To achieve the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, mineral usage must increase sixfold by 2040, as per the UN. On the other hand, the US, UK, and the European Union have also developed strategies to reduce their dependence on Chinese resources. As Chinese companies intensify their mining activities abroad, concerns are rising that these projects could lead to problems. An NGO named Business and Human Rights Resource Center states that such issues „are not unique to the Chinese mining industry.“ However, the organization released a report last year listing 102 allegations against Chinese companies involved in critical mineral extraction, ranging from violating the rights of local populations to damaging ecosystems and providing unsafe working conditions. These charges stem from 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the BBC identified over 40 additional accusations reported in NGO documents or the press. Two individuals from opposite sides of the world shared their stories with us. „The river water is no longer drinkable.“ In Lubumbashi on the southern edge of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Christophe Kabwita leads the resistance against the Ruashi cobalt mine owned by the Jinchuan Group since 2011. He says that the open-pit mine, 500 meters from his door, has disrupted their lives by detonating explosives to break rocks two to three times a week. Sirens wail just before the explosion as a signal for everyone to stop working and take cover. „Regardless of the weather, rain, or wind, we have to leave our homes and go to a shelter near the mine,“ he says. He adds that this applies to everyone, including patients and women who have just given birth, and that nowhere else is safe. In 2017, it was reported that a young girl named Katty Kabazo died after being hit by a stone on her way home from school, while other stones were said to have punched holes in the walls and roofs of surrounding houses. The spokesperson for the Ruashi mine, Elisa Kalasa, admitted that „there was a little kid in that area, the girl should not have been there, and she was affected by the scattered stones.“ Since then, „we have improved the technology and now have a blasting system without flying stones,“ Kalasa said. But the BBC’s process director, Patrick Tshisand, painted a different picture: „When we engage in mining, we use explosives. Explosives can cause rocks to fly around, people can fall in because they are so close to the mine… so.“ We had many such accidents.“ Kalasa also mentioned that the company compensated over 300 families between 2006 and 2012 for relocating further away from the mine. On the remote island of Obi in Indonesia, a mine jointly owned by the Chinese company Lygend Resources and Technology and the Indonesian mining giant MAP Group is rapidly devouring the forests around the village of Kawasi. Jatam, who monitors local mines, says that villagers are under pressure to move and accept state compensation. Dozens of families refused to relocate as the offers were insufficient. Jatam said ancient forests had been cleared to make way for the mine; they documented rivers and