The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) plans to implement cobalt export quotas and cooperate with Indonesia to control global supply and pricing, mainly in order to deal with the global cobalt market oversupply and falling prices, while enhancing its own voice and influence in the international cobalt market. In recent years, the global cobalt market has seen increasing supply, while demand growth has been relatively slow, resulting in oversupply and falling cobalt prices. In 2024, global cobalt mine production reached 300,000 tons, an increase of about 30%, while demand was only about 250,000 tons. As a key component of electric vehicles and mobile phone batteries, the demand for cobalt should have grown with the development of the new energy industry, but due to a variety of factors, such as the decline of new energy vehicle subsidies, smart phone market saturation, the demand for cobalt has not met expectations, and the price has also fallen. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the world's largest cobalt producer, accounting for 73% of global cobalt production in 2024. Through the implementation of export quotas and cooperation with Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hopes to play a greater Principal no mercado internacional de cobalto, estabiliza os preços do mercado e protege seus próprios interesses econômicos .
The implementation of export quotas will directly reduce Congo's cobalt exports, thereby easing the supply pressure on the global market and helping to stabilize or even increase cobalt prices. Under the quota system, cobalt exports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be strictly controlled to prevent oversupply from causing prices to fall further. Part of the quota will be used to promote the conversion of domestic minerals, that is, to encourage mining companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to further process a portion of cobalt ore in the country to produce higher value-added cobalt products. This will not only help increase the added value of the cobalt industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also promote the sustainable development of the domestic mining industry, creating more jobs and economic benefits. Indonesia is the world's second largest cobalt producer, accounting for 13% of global cobalt production in 2024. The cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia will form a strong market influence, jointly regulating the global supply and price of cobalt, and strengthening the voice of the two countries in the international cobalt market. Through cooperation, the two countries can better coordinate production and export strategies and jointly cope with market fluctuations and uncertainties, such as changes in demand and adjustments in trade policies. In addition, cooperation can also help the two countries seek more favorable conditions in international negotiations and safeguard their own economic interests. The cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia will not only benefit the economic development of the two countries, but also have a positive impact on the development of the Indústria de mineração na África e no sudeste da Ásia . Os dois países podem melhorar a competitividade geral da indústria de mineração regional e promover o processo de integração econômica regional por meio da troca de experiência e cooperação técnica .
