The Select Committee on China’s three-part investigative report on China’s global mining practices – China’s Minerals Mafia: A Global Pattern of Corruption, Environmental Destruction, and Human Rights Abuse – reports on widespread exploitation and abuse in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector which is now largely controlled by Chinese companies.
As China races to control critical minerals around the world to limit America’s influence and make our country dependent on it, its companies are engaged in atrocities. After on-the-ground engagements with local leaders, mining communities, and industry stakeholders, and a review of public reporting, the report finds that Chinese firms control roughly 90 percent of Zimbabwe’s mining operations, including key lithium assets critical to global energy supply chains. This dominance, enabled by corruption and weak governance, has led to what the investigation describes as “unchecked extractivism” at the expense of the environment and local communities.
“What we heard—and corroborated through dozens of public reports—is a consistent story of ‘unchecked extractivism’ by Chinese companies at the expense of the environment, local communities, and the Zimbabwean people, and enabled by corruption and incapacity at all levels of government,” the report reveals.
The investigation reports on extensive illicit activity tied to Chinese mining operations, including large-scale smuggling of lithium and other valuable minerals despite the Zimbabwean government’s export bans. Authorities have intercepted shipments of undeclared lithium ore, while workers and community monitors described underreporting and concealment of high-grade material. Zimbabwe ultimately moved to halt lithium concentrate exports ahead of schedule in 2026 after underreporting and regulatory failures escalated.
The investigation also details how workers in Chinese-operated mines face dangerous and degrading conditions, and work long hours with low pay. There are also credible accounts of physical abuse; in one instance, Chinese mine managers tied workers to heavy machinery and lifted them into the air as punishment. Fatal accidents, including workers crushed by equipment or killed in poorly maintained facilities, highlight what civil society groups describe as systemic disregard for worker safety.
Environmental damage linked to these operations is severe. The report finds that Chinese mining activity has contaminated water sources, depleted groundwater, and blanketed nearby communities in hazardous dust. In one case, a major lithium operator discharged toxic waste into a dam relied upon by surrounding communities, leaving residents without clean water for years. Locals report declining agricultural output, livestock deaths, and rising respiratory illness tied to mining operations.
Despite these abuses, accountability remains limited. Community representatives report that mining companies bribe local officials and law enforcement, while grievance mechanisms are ineffective or nonexistent. The Committee’s request to meet with Zimbabwean officials was declined, and its staff was monitored by the state intelligence service during their visit.
Finally, the committee’s investigation makes multiple policy recommendations including:
- Offer a better option to countries seeking investment in their critical minerals sectors—specifically, critical minerals partnerships with the U.S. and American companies that will respect the laws and regulations of the host government, operate transparently, protect the environment, and add value to local communities.
- Continue developing alternative, Western, and sovereign supply chains.
- Seek sanctions for Chinese government and mining company officials engaged in corruption and gross human rights violations in the mining sector.
Read more about part one of China’s Minerals Mafia here.
The Committee’s full three-part report can be read here.
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