Donald Trump wanted to source raw materials outside China, but was just told “no”. Zimbabwe rejected an offer of $360 million in health aid from the United States. The official reason was President Emmerson Mnangagwa's disagreement with the conditions set by the US, which – according to the Zimbabwean authorities – made support conditional on access to critical minerals and sensitive health data of citizens. Zimbabwe is rich in lithium, platinum, chromium, nickel and gold.
According to zimlive.com, President Mnangagwa ordered an end to negotiations after the Americans demanded access to medical data and biological samples of the country's inhabitants. The president described this information as “sensitive intelligence” and emphasized that he would not accept provisions suggesting a link between the health agreement and access to Zimbabwe's strategic mineral resources.
— When financial support is conditional on concessions on national security, data sovereignty, or access to strategic resources, it fundamentally changes the nature of the relationship from a partnership to an unequal exchange. We cannot agree to this, government spokesman Nick Mangwana explained the president's decision.
See also: Argentina signed an agreement with the US on critical minerals
USA: the largest potential health investment
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The US embassy in Harare rejected Zimbabwe's allegations, stressing that the proposed deal was “the largest potential health investment in Zimbabwe by any international donor”. It was also recalled that over the last two decades, the United States has provided over $1.9 billion for health care in Zimbabwe.
Donald Trump wanted to extract key raw materials outside China
In February, President Mnangagwa declared his openness to international cooperation in the field of mineral extraction, pointing out that the US interest in this sector could be an opportunity for both sides. This was in response to the Trump administration's launch announcements American fund worth $12 billion.aimed at sourcing critical minerals outside China. Zimbabwe, rich in lithium, platinum, chromium, nickel and gold, was on the list of countries with which the US planned to negotiate.
See also: The EU has a new proposal for the US. Together against China
Negotiations with the USA broken down. The role of China in the background
According to political analyst Tembo Olonga, who is in exile in Zambia, the breakdown in talks resulted from President Mnangagwa's excessive expectations. A key condition for Zimbabwe was to be Washington's lifting of sanctions imposed on the president and his entourage in connection with allegations of corruption, gold smuggling, suppression of the opposition and human rights violations..
Olonga also points to possible pressure from China, which is not interested in sharing African raw materials with the US. According to him, both of these factors could have played a significant role in Zimbabwe's decision.
On Wednesday, President Mnangagwa announced another significant change – he banned the export of all unprocessed minerals and lithium concentrate from the country until further notice. This is to force the processing of raw materials on site and increase added value in the domestic economy.
