Les stratégies minières chinoises aux Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines is an archipelago with abundant but still underdeveloped mining resources. China, and to a lesser extent Japan, are the main clients of the Philippine mining sector. Faced with a complex mining legal system, unstable mining policy, strong opposition to mining from civil society and the conflict in the South China Sea, Chinese companies have adapted and developed several strategies: 1) Some of them have joined the so-called artisanal mining sector in order to escape state control and negotiate directly with local governments, including the provinces. This artisanal sector is largely illegal and it is difficult to assess the weight and influence of these Chinese actors. 2) Other Chinese companies have opted for the commercial sector (large-scale mining) for nickel extraction and have had to develop relationships and partnerships with local and national family dynasties, key players in the country’s mining development. 3) Finally, other Chinese companies do not mine nickel but import the raw ore for processing in China. The coming decades are expected to see a huge increase in demand for nickel and rare earths to meet the needs of the global green transition. The Philippines could play an important role in the value chain, especially in electric vehicles.

Keywords

• Philippines
• China
• mines
• gold
• nickel
• large-scale mining companies