Chinese lithium mining companies operating in Zimbabwe have broken their silence on the smuggling scandal that led to the government’s shock ban on raw mineral exports, insisting they are not the ones bleeding the country dry.
Speaking at a recent event on the raw minerals ban, the Second Secretary at the Chinese Embassy, Liu Yang, pointed an accusing finger at small, unregistered operators who, he says, are using legitimate companies’ documents to smuggle lithium across borders.
“Legitimate enterprises do not need to engage in smuggling. Instead, small, unqualified enterprises exploit the documents of legitimate companies to conduct smuggling,” Liu said, as he sought to clear the names of major Chinese investors who dominate the country’s lithium sector.
“We Have Too Much to Lose”
Liu revealed that during investigations, large Chinese lithium firms made it clear they have no interest in illegal exports, they are too busy protecting their multi-million dollar investments. He said:
“The large enterprises said that they have proper export documents, no motive to smuggle, and cannot afford the penalties of being caught smuggling; they are more focused on the security of the investments they have already made.”
It’s a powerful argument. Since 2021, Chinese companies have poured over US$2 billion into Zimbabwe’s lithium sector in the past 3 years. The last thing they want, Liu suggested, is to risk it all on smuggled concentrates.
But the embassy official also dropped a bombshell: the government has had opportunities all along to stop the leakages but failed to act. He said:
“At various stages, the government has multiple opportunities to intervene and crack down on such activities.”
He added that formal lithium mining enterprises are ready and willing to work with authorities to combat smuggling, if only the government would step up.
The Ban That Shook the World
The comments come barely five weeks after Zimbabwe dropped a bombshell on the global lithium market, suspending all raw mineral and lithium concentrate exports with immediate effect on 25 February 2026.
Mines Minister Polite Kambamura cited “widespread leakages, licence abuse, and failure to declare valuable by-minerals” as the trigger.
Ministry of Mines Permanent Secretary Pfungwa Kunaka later told Parliament that studies had confirmed Zimbabwe was losing rare earths, tantalum, and niobium, valuable minerals hidden in lithium ore, that were being shipped out without a cent paid to the treasury.
Who Is Really to Blame?
The finger-pointing has begun in earnest. Chinese investors say they are being unfairly tarred. The government says the leakages were out of control. Small-scale operators, the ones Liu says are using legitimate papers to smuggle, remain in the shadows.
What is clear is that Zimbabwe’s lithium wealth has been bleeding out through a system where export permits meant for a few were being used dozens of times over, where high-grade material was declared as waste, and where the country was getting just 7 per cent of the value of its own resources.
Now, with the ban in place and Chinese firms promising cooperation, the question is whether the government can finally close the loopholes—and whether the “small, unqualified” smugglers Liu describes can finally be brought to heel.
