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Just learned that China owns most of the cobalt mines in the DRC. (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Are they responsible for the conditions there?

Of course all of the other "China is imperialist" claims are bullshit but it seems like this is true and could potentially lead to valid accusations of imperialism or at least bad regulations.

What's the reason for what's going on in the Congo, I guess? What is happening on a detailed level? I can't find many resources outside of blatantly western shit.

I know what's going on and like the bad things but I'm asking why basically. Is it China?

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Today, these laborers are assigned the quaint term artisanal miners, and they toil in a shadowy substrate of the global mining industry called artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). Do not be fooled by the word artisanal into thinking that ASM involves pleasant mining activities conducted by skilled artisans. Artisanal miners use rudimentary tools and work in hazardous conditions to extract dozens of minerals and precious stones in more than eighty countries across the global south. Because ASM is almost entirely informal, artisanal miners rarely have formal agreements for wages and working conditions. There are usually no avenues to seek assistance for injuries or redress for abuse. Artisanal miners are almost always paid paltry wages on a piece-rate basis and must assume all risks of injury, illness, or death.

From here: https://mronline.org/2024/01/26/cobalt-red-how-the-blood-of-the-congo-powers-our-lives