Foreign media: As Western countries and China compete for African mineral resources, two billion-dollar railway projects in Africa have drawn attention.
One is the westward Lobito Railway, which is expected to cost 6 billion US dollars and is planned to be completed by 2030, mainly transporting copper and cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. The project is mostly funded by the United States and Europe, aiming to upgrade the existing railway and increase its annual transportation capacity to 46 million tons. The other is the eastward Tazara Railway, connecting the mining areas of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the Tanzanian port, mainly targeting the Chinese and Asian markets, with China investing about 1.4 billion US dollars to increase its annual transportation capacity to 24 million tons.
These projects demonstrate the different strategies of Western countries and China in ensuring mineral supply, with the West preferring private operators and public-private partnerships, while China adopts a more comprehensive investment model. African countries face the challenge of coordinating their resource policies to avoid being exploited by powerful countries, while gaining more investment and tax revenue through proper partner selection.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856929237226503/
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