The Democratic Republic of Congo exported a record 1.72 million metric tons of copper during the first half of 2026, as the country increased efforts to diversify sales away from China. Mines ministry statistics showed exports rising to 1,724,217 tons from 1,650,189 tons during the same period in 2025. The share sold to the United States and Europe also doubled, reflecting Kinshasa’s push to develop alternative markets for its critical minerals. State miner Gecamines has used trading arrangements with Mercuria and Glencore to redirect copper output, including from Chinese-linked mines, toward new markets. Cobalt exports, however, declined 6.4% to 41,140 tons, due to government-imposed quotas. Congo also banned copper and cobalt concentrate exports in June, although significant concentrate shipments had already occurred during the first half.