US eyes railway project in Angola to tap African minerals

US President Joe Biden met African leaders in the Angolan port of Lobito on Wednesday to advance a plan to extend a railway that could channel critical minerals from Congo and Zambia to the West via Lobito, and counter Chinese clout in the region. As things stand, China is the main foreign player in the Democratic Republic of Congo's mining sector, which exports minerals considered critical for batteries and other industrial components key to transitioning away from fossil fuels.