DAKAR/SHANGHAI/LONDON - China's Zijin has started exporting lithium concentrate from its Manono project in Democratic Republic of Congo, five sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

"Exports started in June as planned," a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. "They are shipping everything to China."

The shipments mark Congo's first lithium exports, extending China's dominance of the country's critical minerals sector, where CMOC and Huayou Cobalt are already major players.

Zijin and Congo's mines ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

The Manono deposit, one of the world's largest undeveloped hard-rock lithium resources, is at the centre of a dispute after Congo revoked Australian miner AVZ Minerals' permit and reassigned part of the project to Manono Lithium.

The venture is 54.9%-owned by Zijin, with State miner Cominiere holding 35.1% and the Congolese government 10%.

US-backed KoBold Metals, which holds the adjoining Manono licence, has said it will not proceed with development until all legal disputes over the project are resolved.

SHIPMENT IN TRANSIT TO CHINA
A mining executive said initial exports were likely trial shipments after technical issues delayed commissioning of the processing plant. 

One trader said exports began in June but remained limited, estimating volumes at just a few thousand metric tons.

A second trader said the project has already produced tens of thousands of tons of concentrate, though much of it is likely still in transit and may not reach China until October.

Another source who visited the site in June said trucks were hauling concentrate from Manono to the lakeside city of Kalemie for onward shipment to China through Tanzania. 

The company said in a July 9 notice that Manono's processing plant had started production in May 2026, a month ahead of schedule, with smelter and other downstream facilities set to come online by December, accelerating the project's ramp-up.

Zijin targets 30 000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent from Manono in 2026. The project is designed to process 5 million tons of ore annually and produce about 1 million tons of spodumene concentrate, according to the company.