China leads the safari on cobalt

As New Delhi struggles to shape its strategy on tapping cobalt in the Congo, Beijing has already become the dominant player in mining the shiny grey metal used to make lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars and smartphones. And because that didn’t seem quite cruel enough, quite strong enough to make their case, they cannibalised both.” “And they presented N’sala with the tokens, the leftovers from the once living body of his darling child whom he so loved.” Now, six decades after the Democratic Republic of Congo gained independence from Belgium, the war-torn and politically-volatile country is once again at the heart of one of the world’s great resource-races. In one, seen by Firstpost, the NSCS noted that there is “no production of cobalt in the country from indigenous ores” India’s estimated reserves of 44.91 million tonnes are trivial given the need; worse, they’re locked up in Odisha and Nagaland, where local resistance to mining is high. “There’s also the problem that cobalt mining involves toxic residues,” says an official involved in the studies for the Cabinet, “which means local resistance will be stiff.” Energy Ministry officials say they’re now working to set up a consortium involving the National Aluminium Company, Hindustan Copper and the Mineral Exploration Corporation that will work overseas to tie up sources of rare metals, including cobalt and lithium. “We just don’t have the infrastructure it needs like military contractors to provide security or the kinds of regional experts who can make the deals needed.” “Beijing,” he said, “has spent years learning how to do this right, and is willing to pay the price.” BLOOD PAYMENT The 23 years of King Leopold II’s rule in the Congo, which ran from 1885-1908, is estimated to have cost the lives of 10 million Africans.