The United States is increasingly turning to the Democratic Republic of Congo for copper, with imports from the African mineral powerhouse hitting a record 53,290 tonnes in July as Washington seeks to secure critical mineral supplies and reduce its exposure to China.

The record shipment gave the DRC a 23.9 per cent share of total US copper imports in July, when overall American imports exceeded 220,000 tonnes for the first time. The jump is significant from 2024, when the US imported less than 32,000 tonnes from Congo for the entire year.

The increase is partly driven by price. Congolese copper is not approved for delivery against COMEX contracts, but American industrial buyers can purchase it on a London Metal Exchange basis. Reuters reported that Congo copper has typically been sold at discounts of $550 to $800 per tonne, making it attractive to US copper rod mills and tube manufacturers. Improving quality and expectations of potential US tariffs have also encouraged buyers to secure supply.

“The US–Congo copper corridor is becoming a strategic axis for critical mineral supply,” said Solomon Ekanem, editor at Business Insider Africa. “The surge in US imports from DRC reflects the country’s growing dependence on African resources, even as China remains Congo’s largest buyer.”

The surge comes as Washington and Kinshasa deepen a strategic relationship built around Congo’s enormous mineral wealth. In December 2025, the US and DRC signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement designed to facilitate stable, long-term US access to critical minerals from Congo and encourage investment in mining and processing.

The agreement reflects Washington’s growing interest in a country that produces huge quantities of copper and cobalt, while also possessing deposits of other minerals considered important to advanced manufacturing, energy and defence. The US has long identified Congo’s mineral sector as strategically important. Its own investment assessments describe the DRC as possessing exceptional deposits of copper and cobalt, while minerals account for more than 95 per cent of the country’s export revenue.

China nevertheless remains Congo’s biggest copper customer. Chinese imports from Congo fell 4.3 per cent in the first seven months of 2026, but China still accounted for 39.4 per cent of Congo’s copper exports in July, compared with 23.9 per cent for the US. The latest figures therefore do not signal Congo replacing China. Instead, they show the US establishing a larger foothold in a mineral market that Beijing has dominated for years.

“The strategic competition is increasingly centred on China,” Business Insider Africa reported. Chinese companies have established a dominant position in Congo’s mining industry, particularly in copper and cobalt, while China also controls substantial portions of the global processing capacity for critical minerals. That makes Congo important to Washington’s efforts to diversify mineral supply chains away from China.