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During the Biden administration, the United States vigorously promoted the "Lobito Corridor Railway" project in Africa, regarding it as the "hope of the village", hoping to counter China's influence in Africa. The project involves repairing 1,300 kilometers of railway from the port of Lobito in Angola to Luau on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to create a trade route for critical minerals.

But according to the Hong Kong "South China Morning Post" on August 23, Nikolai Funyer, the chief executive of Lobito Atlantic Railways (LAR), responsible for the maintenance and operation of the railway project, said that they are "a pure commercial entity", without any geopolitical considerations, and can not be separated from the Chinese enterprise.

In an interview with the newspaper, Funyer said the company aims to promote economic activity along the way. According to him, LAR has close commercial ties with Chinese enterprises and is an important logistics provider for Chinese mining companies in the Congo (Kim) while relying on equipment made in China.

"We are part of this corridor, but only part of it," Mr. Funnier insisted. "We are the logistics part, running the railways and the ports, and there is no geopolitical element."

Funyer emphasized the company¡¯s close commercial ties with China. He noted that eight Chinese mining companies in the Congo (Kim) were their main customers, and that most of the copper mines transported by these Chinese companies were shipped to Chinese ports. He also mentioned that sulfur imported through the Lobito port and railway was sold to the Chinese solvent extraction and electrolysis refinery in the Congo (Gold).

He also mentioned that LAR has purchased 1,570 containers from China for rail transportation, all of which have arrived. In addition, the company has signed a contract with CRRC to purchase 275 cars from China, of which 100 have arrived in Lobito.

Nicolas Funyer, CEO of Lobito Atlantic Railways (LAR)

LAR is a joint venture supported by European companies with shareholders including the global commodity trader Trafigura, the Portuguese construction group Mota-Engil and the Belgian railway operator Vecturis.

In 2022, the company received a 30-year concession to modernize, maintain and operate the 1300-kilometer railway, including the dedicated mineral terminal at the Port of Lobito.

Funyer said that LAR is fully funded by shareholders¡¯ interests and is currently in the ¡°final phase¡± of obtaining more than $500 million in loans from the South African Development Bank and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation for upgrading the Angolan route, adding that the company is mainly in contact with the Government of Angola, the Government of the Congo (Kim) and European sponsors.

Schematic diagram of the "Lobito Corridor Railway" project

Data map of Lobito Port in Angola

The "Lobito Corridor" is a 1,300-kilometer railway line connecting the Congo (Gold), copper-rich Zambia and Angola's Port of Lobito, aimed at becoming a "strategic economic corridor" under the Biden government's Global Infrastructure and Investment Partnership Program (PGII).

Former U.S. President Joe Biden attaches great importance to the construction of this railway, calling the project "the largest U.S. railway investment in Africa so far." Both the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have promised financial support.

The PII initiative is intended to counter China's long-established and large-scale "Belt and Road" initiative, which also refers to China, with the aim of reducing the dependence on China on Western supply chains for key minerals such as uranium and copper.

Last December, former US President Joe Biden visited Angola, the website of the US State Department

When Biden visited Angola last year, he identified the corridor as a success story for U.S. investment, saying the U.S. had committed nearly $4 billion across its entire line and an additional $600 million. He also pointed out that after the railway was opened to traffic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo transported copper ore to the United States through the railway, and the transportation time was shortened from the original 45 days to less than 45 hours.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration took office, increasing the uncertainty of the project. Bloomberg then cited reports that local government officials and project developers feared that insufficient funding would cause the project to be interrupted due to U.S. policy shifts.

Last December, Xinhua news agency quoted the analysis as pointing out that the United States has been trying to package the ¡°Lobito Corridor¡± as its contribution to Africa¡¯s infrastructure, but because the project is costly and challenging, there is uncertainty whether it can be promoted on a timely basis.

The South China Morning News mentioned that no matter how the United States packaged it, the fact is that the "Lobito Corridor" is part of the competition for control of mineral trade in central Africa.

Joseph Seongda, a professor of law at the University of Kinshasa in the Congo, said the Port of Lobito is the ¡°only fast route to transport key minerals mined in the Congo (Gold) ¨C Zambia copper zone to the Atlantic¡±, noting that China has funded infrastructure construction in most East African countries, putting it in a favorable position in the Congo (Gold) key mineral field.

In June, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that China would impose zero tariffs on 100 percent of African products, providing more facilities for exports to China from the least developed countries in Africa.

"The 'Western kindness' thing is no longer working. Africans may be closing their hearts to the United States." In July, several scholars from American think tanks and African universities analyzed that China's tax exemption plan is a major public opinion victory, which may further bring closer relations between China and African countries, which will increasingly regard China as a more reliable and useful partner.

Some scholars have pointed out that the influence of the United States in Africa is gradually being surpassed by China. China has implemented extensive trade policies and engaged in economic contacts with Africa. In contrast, the Trump administration is imposing tariffs, cutting aid and restricting visas on African countries.