The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) copper exports reached a record level in the first half of 2026, as the country expanded sales to the United States and Europe amid efforts to diversify its critical-minerals markets beyond China.
The DRC exported 1.724 million metric tonnes of copper between January and June, up from 1.650 million tonnes during the same period in 2025, according to first-half mining statistics from the country’s Mines Ministry.
At the same time, the share of Congolese copper sales going to the United States and Europe doubled from 2025 levels. The official report did not disclose the actual volumes shipped to the two markets, but described the development as part of Kinshasa’s “export diversification offensive.”
The shift comes as the DRC seeks to reduce its dependence on Chinese trade channels while positioning itself more strongly in competition for critical minerals. China remains a major destination for Congolese copper, with Chinese companies including CMOC, Huayou Cobalt and Zijin playing a significant role in the country’s mining industry.
The diversification drive followed a strategic minerals partnership between Kinshasa and Washington signed in December 2025. State-owned mining company Gecamines has subsequently worked with commodity traders Mercuria and Glencore to market its share of copper from major mining operations to alternative markets outside China.
Those arrangements include copper from mines such as Tenke Fungurume Mining and Kamoto Copper Company, allowing Gecamines to seek markets for its interests in operations that also involve Chinese-linked companies.
The stronger flow of copper to Western markets is also reflected in United States import data. Reuters reported that US copper imports from the DRC reached a record 53,290 tonnes in July 2026, giving Congo a 23.9% share of total US copper imports that month.
The increase came as American industrial consumers increasingly accepted Congolese copper, partly because it was available at discounts to copper brands deliverable on the US COMEX exchange.
The development is significant for the DRC, the world’s largest cobalt producer and the second-largest copper producer, as governments and companies seek secure supplies of minerals considered important to industry and energy technologies.
However, the country’s copper growth has coincided with tighter controls on mineral exports. Kinshasa banned exports of copper and cobalt concentrates in June, although 151,202 tonnes of copper concentrate containing 50,629 tonnes of copper were exported during the first half of the year.
Frontier Mining, Kinsenda Copper Company, Everbright Mining and Sabwe Mining were among the largest exporters of copper concentrates.
Cobalt exports, meanwhile, declined by 6.4% to 41,140 tonnes in the first half, from 43,930 tonnes a year earlier, amid export quotas imposed by the government.
The record copper figures therefore highlight both rising production and a changing destination mix, as the DRC seeks to broaden its customer base while maintaining its position as one of the world’s key suppliers of critical minerals.