Vol 64 No 22

Published 2nd November 2023

China, Europe and the US mull tariff war amid scramble for Africa's green minerals

20 Oct 2023

PREVIEW

Corporate rivalries and geopolitical tensions disrupt markets for electric vehicles | Special Report by Tim Concannon

Expectations for the UN COP28 Climate summit in Dubai next month are muted because their host is a leading fossil fuel economy and because of rising geopolitical tensions.

This year's United States Inflation Reduction Act by President Joe Biden's administration includes hundreds of billions of dollars of green financing in a law to protect US jobs and companies.

Now European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans a similar measure to protect European manufacturers of electric vehicles from what she thinks is susbsidised competition from China.

Our climate editor, Tim Concannon looks at the implications of these rivalries for African economies which supply many of the critical green minerals.

For a detailed analysis of these shifts, read our Special Report here: China, Europe and the US mull tariff war amid scramble for Africa's green minerals

Prepared for Free Article on 06/09/2026 at 18:57. Authorized users may download, save, and print articles for their own use, but may not further disseminate these articles in their electronic form without express written permission from Africa Confidential / Asempa Limited. Contact subscriptions@africa-confidential.com.

Vol 65 No 23 |

Russian sanctions-busters find a Gambian haven

14th November 2024

A US-sanctioned Russian illegally imported US$29 million worth of diesel to The Gambia, sold it there, and sent the money to the UAE, but the authorities seem uninterested

An Africa Confidential Special Report By Mustapha K Darboe and Andrew Weir

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Vol 64 No 18 |

AFRICA
CLIMATE CHANGE

Who will fund the new fund?

7th September 2023

With two months until the November deadline set at last year's COP climate change summit for the 'loss and damage' fund compensating victims of climate change to be...

Vol 65 No 7 |

Anger as Geneva wins Fund fight

28th March 2024

African officials and climate activists want to reverse the decision to host the Loss and Damage advisory network in Geneva instead of Nairobi. They met in Lilongwe, Malawi,...

Vol 66 No 24 |

Johannesburg and Belém summits send defiant message to Trump

26th November 2025

Multilateralism survived and African leaders got some progress on debt, minerals and climate change at the G20 and the COP30

Winning a sort of victory in the teeth of United States opposition, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa rescued Africa’s first G20 on 22-23 November, pushing through a leaders’...

Vol 63 No 22 |

CLIMATE CHANGE
COP27

Climate of scepticism

3rd November 2022

Expectations are low ahead of next week's COP27 climate change summit in Sharm el Sheikh. Although the African Union common position has moved away from an early draft...

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