A senior U.S. State Department official said the United States regularly talks to Gecamines, the Democratic Republic of Congo's state-owned mining company, as it seeks to deepen ties with the continent's leading cobalt and copper supplier.
Heavy Chinese investment in Congo, Zambia and elsewhere in Africa has raised concerns in Washington for some time. These African countries have vast mineral resources that are used to make electric cars and other electronics.
Jose Fernandez, the State Department's undersecretary for economic growth, energy and environmental affairs, said in an interview this week that conversations with Gecamines focused on supply agreements and potential new mines, or other projects the company was considering. On average, a conversation takes place every 4-6 weeks.
The Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) is a multinational collaboration of more than a dozen countries and the European Union that aims to invest in global supply chains.
In February, MSP announced an agreement with Gecamines and Japan's JOGMEC. Fernandez said the deal was the product of dialogue.
"It's not good to have only one supplier for anything, whether it's China or anyone else," Fernandez said.
Fernandez declined to comment on whether the U.S. government would seek to buy all or part of the Zambian assets of Canadian mining company First Quantum.
First Quantum has been seeking new sources of cash because of an unrelated dispute with the Panamanian government that led to the closure of a major copper mine.
Fernandez said the United States continues to work with Zambia and Congo on mining and regulatory structures.
Despite Washington's efforts in recent years, the United States still lags behind China in securing access to the mineral resources needed across the continent to produce products such as batteries for electric vehicles and solar panels.
Fernandez said Washington's goal was not to offset China's influence in Africa's key mineral sector, but to diversify its own supply chains and encourage African partners to raise their mining standards.
