China’s Zijin Mining will initiate Congo’s first lithium output in June from the disputed Manono deposit and move immediately to exports, the company and state miner Cominiere said, marking a major step in Beijing’s push to secure more critical minerals in Africa.

Zijin had previously indicated a first‑quarter 2026 start but told Reuters on Tuesday that June now reflects updated planning.

The Manono resource, one of the world’s largest undeveloped hard‑rock lithium deposits, is at the centre of arbitration after the Democratic Republic of Congo cancelled Australian miner AVZ’s permit.

It reassigned part of the site to Manono Lithium, Zijin’s joint venture with Cominiere. Zijin holds 61%, with Cominiere and the Congolese state owning the remainder.

“Manono Lithium will produce its first tons in June, and exports will begin immediately after,” Cominiere Managing Director Alpha Monga Mwidia said on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town.

AVZ declined to comment. A source close to the company said they had been informed blasting took place at the site this week near an area where AVZ still keeps staff, calling it a safety and procedural concern.

Zijin declined to disclose production volumes or first‑year export targets. Mwidia said figures were not readily available.

The launch comes as lithium prices remain under pressure after an 86% collapse from late‑2022 peaks, driven by China’s stockpiling and rising domestic output.

The U.S. has been seeking to redirect Congolese supply toward Western markets through short‑term contracting, challenging Beijing’s longstanding dominance in Africa.

Under the joint venture, all first‑phase output will be sold by Zijin, including Cominiere’s share. 

“Everything will be marketed or sold by Zijin on our behalf,” Mwidia said, adding Cominiere did not contribute to the roughly $1-billion project financing but will receive revenue according to its stake.

Mwidia and Zijin said AVZ's arbitration does not affect schedules and operations remain compliant with existing law. 

By contrast, US-backed KoBold Metals, which holds rights on the opposite side of the deposit, told Reuters it will not begin construction until ownership issues are resolved.

“The Western system is different from the Eastern one,” Mwidia said. “The Chinese are more pragmatic."

Cominiere is supplying 44 megawatts of power to the project through its unit Katamba Mining and plans to scale capacity to 120 MW for the mining sector and host communities.