Vice FM discusses critical minerals cooperation with senior African officials
Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun has discussed ways to deepen cooperation in the critical minerals sector in talks with senior government officials of Tanzania, South Africa and Zimbabwe, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.
The talks took place Wednesday on the margins of a key mining event in the South African city of Cape Town, where Kang was visiting to attend the inaugural partnership dialogue between South Korea and African nations on ways to boost critical minerals cooperation.
Kang met separately with Steven Kiruswa, Tanzania's deputy minister for mining; Phumzile Mgcina, South Africa's deputy minister for mineral and petroleum resources; and Winston Chitando, Zimbabwe's minister for mining development, the Seoul ministry said in a release.
In the talks with the three officials, Kang proposed making continued mutual efforts to expand the partnerships based on the agreement reached at the first-ever South Korea-Africa summit in Seoul last year, the ministry said.
Kang asked for Tanzania's support in advancing a graphite mining project under way as part of the Minerals Security Partnership, a multilateral forum focused on critical mineral supply chains. South Korea and 13 other countries, including the United States, Britain and Japan, are participating in the initiative.
With South Africa, Kang expressed hope to strengthen economic cooperation in various areas, including critical minerals, noting the country has been South Korea's largest trading partner in the region.
Kang discussed with the Zimbabwean minister opportunities for cooperation with the resource-rich country, according to the Seoul ministry. (Yonhap)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Zoomlion Showcases Advanced Equipment and Localized Solutions at the 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo to Drive Development in Africa
CHANGSHA, China, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. ("Zoomlion"; showcased the latest agricultural and engineering machinery solutions tailored for the African market at the 4 th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, held from June 12 to 15 in Changsha, China. Since entering the African market in 2007, Zoomlion has actively participated in the construction of several landmark projects, while fostering local talent and playing a key role in advancing infrastructure and agriculture modernization. Zoomlion highlighted a wide array of products including construction cranes, agricultural equipment, aerial work platforms and earthmoving machinery, which are specially designed to meet the unique performance, quality and technological demands of Africa's construction and agricultural environments. Over the past 18 years, Zoomlion has established itself as one of the leading machinery exporters in Africa with over 10,000 units of equipment deployed across the continent. Zoomlion has set up subsidiaries and extensive service networks in South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya and more. It has established a joint-venture factory in Algeria and operates spare parts centers in Algeria and South Africa while expanding its network of local dealers and distribution channels to provide comprehensive services to local customers encompassing sales, support, technical assistance and financing. Zoomlion has been safeguarding major infrastructure and agricultural projects in Africa, including the construction of Egypt's New Administrative Capital which features 20 high-rises including Africa's tallest skyscraper of 385.8 meters, 12 commercial office buildings, five residential apartments and two luxury hotels; the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) in Tanzania that increases the installed hydropower capacity in the country from 562 megawatts by about 3.7 times; the N'Djamena Stadium in Chad that can host continental competitions and large-scale cultural events upon completion; the Rosso Bridge situated over the Senegal River at the border between Senegal and Mauritania that will serve as a key trading hub in Africa and foster closer economic ties. Zoomlion is growing rapidly in the African market, with sales in the first quarter of 2025 reaching an impressive 60 percent of the total sales for the entire year of 2024. As of May 2025, Zoomlion's Africa team included more than 300 employees, with over 90% being local hires, serving as a key driver of regional employment and skills development.
Korea Herald
14 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee returns from G7 summit with 'new leap forward in diplomacy'
At expanded G7 session, Lee tells leaders that S. Korea aims to lead AI revolution with focus on inclusion, energy security CALGARY, Canada/SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung returned Wednesday from a three-day visit to Canada, where he attended the Group of Seven summit as a guest — a milestone his administration has touted as the restoration of South Korea's summit diplomacy. Wrapping up his trip, Lee hailed the G7 summit and a flurry of bilateral talks as 'signaling a new leap forward in South Korea's diplomacy,' in a post on his Facebook account. The trip, which marked Lee's debut on the global stage just two weeks after taking office, served as an opportunity for the new president to reassure South Korea's international partners of its economic and security stability, according to his office. The G7 Summit offered Lee an early platform to engage with the G7 leaders and other invited heads of state, allowing him to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties while outlining his vision for 'pragmatic diplomacy,' his office said. According to officials, many of the leaders he met commended South Korea's recent restoration of democratic stability following its domestic political crisis. "South Korea's summit diplomacy has been fully restored," Wi Sung-lac, director of the presidential National Security Office, told reporters Tuesday. "Amid the seismic shift in the world's economic security landscape, South Korea actively engaged in discussions over global current affairs while manifesting (South Korea's) visions and roles," he added. According to the presidential office, Lee delivered remarks twice during the expanded G7 summit session on Tuesday afternoon. Behind closed doors, Lee's remarks heralded South Korea's vision of seeking international cooperation to make artificial intelligence technology available to all humankind, in line with his campaign pledges. Lee proposed the idea of turning South Korea into the "leading AI hub" through the so-called "nationwide AI transformation" bolstered by aggressive tax relief, a deregulatory push and a private-sector fund composed of contributions from ordinary citizens. Lee also noted in his remarks that increased electricity consumption due to the rise of AI highlights the importance of robust energy security and stability in supply chains of energy-related critical minerals. To achieve this, Lee expressed his determination to seek stronger ties with producers of critical minerals through bilateral and multilateral partnerships. Related moves are already underway, including South Korea's participation in the Minerals Security Partnership and the launch of a critical minerals dialogue between South Korea and Africa. Lee also proposed the launch of energy infrastructure with enhanced efficiency, including projects such as the so-called "energy highway," or ultrahigh-voltage direct current transmission cables built underwater. He also proposed the introduction of microgrids, energy storage systems, and an AI-powered electricity supply system to boost efficiency. Moreover, as a G7 guest, Lee signed two documents at the summit, which are the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter and the G7 Critical Mineral Action Plan. "These achievements clearly proved South Korea's status as a 'G7 Plus' country," Wi said, suggesting that Lee's attendance boded well for the Lee administration's efforts to position South Korea for inclusion in a potential expanded G7 forum. A widely anticipated meeting between Lee and US President Donald Trump did not ultimately occur during his three-day visit, as the US leader abruptly cut short his trip late Monday amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran. Lee's office said it will continue to seek a one-on-one meeting with Trump at an early date, aiming to inject momentum into ongoing working-level trade talks between Seoul and Washington. The talks are under growing time pressure, with a 90-day pause on proposed 25 percent "reciprocal" tariffs set to expire on July 9. One possible venue for a bilateral meeting is the upcoming NATO summit in the Netherlands, scheduled for June 24–25 should both leaders attend.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Xinhua Silk Road: Coffee industry-related trade co-op highlighted at side event of China-Africa expo
BEIJING, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A coffee industry promotion event held during the 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) attested again to how a Chinese county endeavored to leverage opening-up to foster new growth drivers. Located in Hunan Province in central China, Changsha County, part of the provincial capital Changsha City, blueprinted a coffee industrial chain park to fill in the vacuum of premium African coffee beans-based coffee industrial chain in China. Via businesses inviting and professional operation, Changsha County expects the annual output value of the park, which sits in the Airport Sub-area of Changsha Area in China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, to exceed one billion yuan and countywide coffee bean import to surpass two billion yuan by 2027. On June 13, the county embraced a batch of seven quality investment projects for the emerging local coffee industry and businesses from Hunan Province attending the event concluded related contracts. These projects, which include industrial complexes, corporate headquarters and online platforms, cover African coffee bean-related production and processing, storage and logistics, trade, and product R&D. Hence, the Chinese county took a solid step forward in shaping an inland hub for opening-driven development to cultivate new growth engines and deepen China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. Currently, Changsha County's coffee industry is starting to unlock its own potential and fascination due to convenient transport, vigorous consumer market and pleasant business environment, said Chen Yonggao, head of Changsha County during the event. In the future, Chen expressed his hopes for related businesses to be long-term partners, pacesetters and co-builders of the county's coffee industry to reap benefits earlier, make breakthroughs in sub-sectors, and establish a vibrant coffee industry ecosystem to bring local coffee to a broader market. Year to date, the county has incorporated its coffee industry planning into local 2026-2030 development plan to delve deeper into the African market. Accordingly, Changsha County will focus on the coffee industrial chain park's production and processing, storage and logistics, sci-tech innovation service, cultural experience and transaction service to further tap into the growing China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. From January to April of this year, Changsha County saw local trade with African countries rise 108 percent year on year to 4.104 billion yuan.
