China's Zijin Mining Group has begun exporting lithium concentrate from its Manono project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking the central African nation's first-ever shipment of the battery metal.

Five sources with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to Reuters that exports started in June as planned.

"Exports started in June as planned. They are shipping everything to China," one source said.

The shipments extend China's dominance over the DRC's critical minerals sector, where CMOC and Huayou Cobalt are already major players in copper and cobalt.

The Manono deposit is one of the world's largest undeveloped hard-rock lithium resources. However, the project has been entangled in legal battles since the DRC government revoked Australian miner AVZ Minerals' permit and reassigned part of the project to Manono Lithium.

The venture is 54.9%-owned by Zijin, with state miner Cominiere holding 35.1% and the Congolese government 10%.

US-backed KoBold Metals, which holds the adjoining licence, has said it will not proceed with development until all legal disputes over the project are resolved.

A mining executive said the initial exports were likely trial shipments after technical issues delayed commissioning of the processing plant.

One trader said exports began in June but remained limited, estimating volumes at just a few thousand metric tons. A second trader said the project has already produced tens of thousands of tons of concentrate, though much of it is likely still in transit and may not reach China until October.

Another source who visited the site in June said trucks were hauling concentrate from Manono to the lakeside city of Kalemie for onward shipment to China through Tanzania.

Zijin said in a July 9 notice that Manono's processing plant started production in May 2026, a month ahead of schedule. Smelter and other downstream facilities are set to come online by December, accelerating the project's ramp-up.

Zijin targets 30,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent from Manono in 2026. The project is designed to process 5 million tons of ore annually and produce about 1 million tons of spodumene concentrate, according to the company.

Zijin and the DRC's mines ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.