姆里马山位于肯尼亚印度洋沿岸蒙巴萨西南约65公里（40英里）处，是一处圣地，正成为中美在关键矿产领域竞争的新前沿。
Mrima Hill, a sacred site about 65km (40 miles) southwest of Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, is emerging as a new front in the US-China rivalry for critical minerals.
美国主导的财团与中国竞标者正在争夺该矿区的开发权，该矿区富含稀土和铌——一种可使钢材更坚固、更轻便的金属。
US-led and Chinese bidders are competing for rights to develop the site, which is rich in rare earths and niobium, a metal used to make steel stronger and lighter.
美国官员提出支持肯尼亚发展国内关键矿产加工产业，因为华盛顿寻求挑战北京在全球稀土精炼领域的主导地位。
American officials have offered to support Kenya’s development of its domestic critical minerals processing industry as Washington seeks to challenge Beijing’s dominance of global rare earth refining.
美国国务卿马尔科·鲁比奥上周在纽约联合国大会期间会见了肯尼亚总统威廉·鲁托。双方讨论了肯尼亚的关键矿产资源如何能“使该国成为该领域的关键参与者，同时为美国企业提供增值机会”。
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Kenyan President William Ruto on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last week. They discussed how Kenya’s critical minerals resources could “position the country as a key player in the sector while presenting opportunities for US firms to provide value addition”.
一个美国高级代表团也于9月9日在内罗毕举行的美商会商业峰会上为美国参与提出了论据。代表团成员包括非洲事务助理国务卿弗兰克·加西亚，以及南部非洲事务、外援和关键矿产代理副助理国务卿克里斯·库卢昆迪斯。
A senior US delegation also made the case for such American participation at the AmCham Business Summit in Nairobi on September 9. It included Frank Garcia, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Chris Kulukundis, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Southern Africa, foreign assistance and critical minerals.
华盛顿正试图减少对中国加工稀土的依赖。根据国际能源署的数据，2025年中国占全球稀土精炼产能的约85%。
A senior US delegation also made the case for such American participation at the AmCham Business Summit in Nairobi on September 9. It included Frank Garcia, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Chris Kulukundis, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Southern Africa, foreign assistance and critical minerals.
专注于撒哈拉以南非洲的地缘经济分析师阿里-汗·萨楚表示，中美在关键矿产领域的竞争远不止于确保矿产资源。
Washington is trying to reduce its reliance on China for processed rare earths. China accounted for about 85 per cent of global rare earth refining in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.
他说：“归根结底，中美围绕关键矿产的竞争与其说是关于获取这些矿产，不如说是关于精炼基础设施。”
Aly-Khan Satchu, a geoeconomic analyst focused on sub-Saharan Africa, said the US-China contest went beyond simply securing mineral deposits.
萨楚补充道：“中国拥有十年的领先优势。”他表示，肯尼亚在评估相互竞争的提议时，应将这一更广泛的战略背景纳入考量。
“Ultimately, the US-China competition around critical minerals is less about access to those minerals and more about the refining infrastructure,” he said.
加西亚表示，华盛顿准备支持肯尼亚建设其采矿和加工产业的努力。“关键矿产是唐纳德·特朗普总统的首要任务，”他说。“我们已准备好与肯尼亚合作，助其成为该领域的区域领导者。”在似乎对中国进行隐晦抨击的言论中，加西亚表示：“美国公司来此并非为了开采后运走。那不是伙伴关系，那是掠夺。”加西亚补充说，美国的参与将包括对社区的投资、劳动力发展和技术转让。
“China holds a decade’s worth of advantage,” Satchu added. Kenya, he said, should assess competing offers with that wider strategic context in mind. Garcia said Washington was prepared to support Kenya’s efforts to build its mining and processing industries. “Critical minerals are a top priority for President Donald Trump,” he said. “We are ready to work with Kenya as it becomes a regional leader in this space.” In remarks that appeared to take a thinly veiled swipe at China, Garcia said: “American companies are not here to extract and ship. That is not a partnership. That is extraction.” Garcia added that US involvement would include investment in communities, workforce development and technology transfer.
他说，华盛顿希望更多的加工环节在肯尼亚进行，从而创造本地就业岗位，让东道国获取更多矿产价值。
Garcia said Washington was prepared to support Kenya’s efforts to build its mining and processing industries. “Critical minerals are a top priority for President Donald Trump,” he said. “We are ready to work with Kenya as it becomes a regional leader in this space.” In remarks that appeared to take a thinly veiled swipe at China, Garcia said: “American companies are not here to extract and ship. That is not a partnership. That is extraction.” Garcia added that US involvement would include investment in communities, workforce development and technology transfer.
在同一活动上，库伦迪斯表示，两个由美国牵头的财团是竞标姆里马山开发权的投标方之一，历史研究表明该地存在约1.05亿吨矿化矿石。
He said Washington wanted more processing to take place in Kenya, creating local jobs and allowing the host country to capture more of the minerals’ value.
肯尼亚于3月启动国际招标，以选定该矿床的开发商，其稀土和铌资源估值达624亿美元。
At the same event, Kulukundis said two US-led consortiums were among the bidders seeking development rights at Mrima Hill, where historical studies indicate the presence of about 105 million tonnes of mineralised ore.
矿业首席秘书哈里·金泰表示，仍有六家候选者在角逐，较最初表达兴趣的13个集团有所减少。其中两家剩余投标方为中国企业，他说。“交易尚未敲定，”金泰说。
Kenya launched an international tender in March to select a developer for the deposit, whose rare earth and niobium resources have been valued at US$62.4 billion.
由纽约上市公司Critical Metals Corp牵头的Mrima Earth Limited财团于7月表示，其在招标中已取得进展。在国际竞标开始前，澳大利亚公司RareX和Iluka Resources已组建财团，并寻求姆里马山的勘探权。其他投标方的身份尚未公开披露。
Mining principal secretary Harry Kimtai said six candidates remained in contention, down from 13 groups that initially showed interest. Two of the remaining bidders were Chinese, he said. “The deal has not been closed,” Kimtai said. The Mrima Earth Limited Consortium, led by New York-listed Critical Metals Corp, said in July that it had advanced in the tender. Australian companies RareX and Iluka Resources had formed a consortium and sought prospecting rights over Mrima Hill before the international competition began. The identities of the other bidders have not been publicly disclosed.
美国商品咨询公司House Mountain Partners负责人克里斯·贝里表示，美国政府在资助MP Materials和USA Rare Earth等国内稀土项目方面表现得非常积极。“美国参与这场竞标表明，西方利益相关方正寻求实现供应链多元化，并加强盟友力量，以应对中国在非洲及全球关键矿产供应链上的主导地位，”贝里说。
Chris Berry, head of US-based commodities advisory firm House Mountain Partners, said the US government had proven to be aggressive when funding domestic rare earth projects such as MP Materials and USA Rare Earth. “The US presence in this bidding war indicates that Western interests are looking to diversify supply chains and bolster allied efforts to counter China’s grip on critical mineral supply chains both in Africa and globally,” Berry said.
关于美国支持的生产国加工能否与中国竞争，贝里表示：“完全可以，但时机至关重要。美国目前还不具备竞争力，但随着持续投资和购销协议的签署，这种情况可能会改变。”
On whether US-backed processing in producing countries could compete with China, Berry said: “Absolutely, but the timing here is crucial. The US isn’t competitive today, but that can change with continued investment and offtake agreements.”
他警告称，减少对中国的依赖需要数年时间。“日本已经致力于减少对中国材料的依赖15年，目前或许仍有60%依赖中国进口，较最初的90%有所下降。理顺供应链是一场漫长而艰难的跋涉。”
He cautioned that reducing dependence on China would take years. “Japan has been working to minimise its dependence on Chinese materials for 15 years and is still perhaps 60 per cent dependent on Chinese imports, down from 90 per cent originally. Untangling supply chains is a long, hard slog.” US interest in Mrima Hill was apparent by June last year, when Marc Dillard, who was then serving as charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Kenya, visited the site. Agence France-Presse later reported, citing a community guard, that Chinese nationals had also tried to enter the area but were turned away.
美国对姆里马山的兴趣在去年6月便已显现，当时美国驻肯尼亚大使馆临时代办马克·迪亚德访问了该地点。法新社后来援引一名社区警卫的报道称，中国公民也曾试图进入该区域，但被拒之门外。
He cautioned that reducing dependence on China would take years. “Japan has been working to minimise its dependence on Chinese materials for 15 years and is still perhaps 60 per cent dependent on Chinese imports, down from 90 per cent originally. Untangling supply chains is a long, hard slog.” US interest in Mrima Hill was apparent by June last year, when Marc Dillard, who was then serving as charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Kenya, visited the site. Agence France-Presse later reported, citing a community guard, that Chinese nationals had also tried to enter the area but were turned away.
当地居民此前曾抵制开采姆里马山的计划，该山是“卡亚”，即迪戈人的圣林和祖先遗址，迪戈人属于米吉肯达社区的九个族群之一。该森林于1992年被指定为国家纪念碑。
Local residents have resisted previous plans to mine Mrima Hill, which is a “Kaya”, a sacred forest and ancestral site for the Digo, a coastal people belonging to the nine-group Mijikenda community. The forest was designated a national monument in 1992.
居民担心采矿会破坏神龛和野生动物栖息地，导致驱逐，并威胁农业生产和获取森林资源。
Local residents have resisted previous plans to mine Mrima Hill, which is a “Kaya”, a sacred forest and ancestral site for the Digo, a coastal people belonging to the nine-group Mijikenda community. The forest was designated a national monument in 1992.
华盛顿也在寻求在非洲其他地区达成矿产协议。去年12月，美国签署了一项协议，给予合格的美国投资者优先参与刚果民主共和国选定采矿项目的权利。
Residents fear mining would damage shrines and wildlife habitat, lead to evictions, and threaten farming and access to forest resources. Washington is also pursuing mineral agreements elsewhere in Africa. In December last year, the US signed an agreement giving qualifying American investors preferential access to selected mining projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
此后，华盛顿支持美国Virtus Minerals公司收购Chemaf，后者是当地铜钴项目的运营商。此前，刚果（金）首都金沙萨扣留审批，据称是在美方施压下，导致向中国国有企业北方工业集团（Norinco）旗下单位的计划出售告吹。这一结果标志着在争夺刚果（金）矿产的竞争中，美国直接获益，中国受损。
Washington has since backed US-based Virtus Minerals’ acquisition of Chemaf, a local operator of copper and cobalt projects. The deal followed the collapse of a planned sale to a unit of Chinese state-owned Norinco after Kinshasa withheld approval, reportedly following US pressure. The outcome marked a direct US gain at China’s expense in the contest for Congolese minerals.
美国还在寻求在尼日利亚扮演更大角色，那里已发现锂、镍、铜和稀土矿产前景。
The US is also seeking a larger role in Nigeria, where lithium, nickel, copper and rare earth prospects have been identified.
上个月，固体矿产部长Dele Alake表示，他率领代表团访问白宫，讨论美国对尼日利亚矿产部门的投资。Alake在与国家安全委员会官员David Copley会谈后表示：“我们讨论了超越简单开采，在从勘探、采矿到当地加工和提炼的整个供应链上合作。”
Last month, solid minerals minister Dele Alake said he led a delegation to the White House to discuss American investment in Nigeria’s minerals sector. “We talked about moving beyond simple extraction and working together across the entire supply chain, from exploration and mining to local processing and refining,” Alake said after talks with National Security Council official David Copley.
华盛顿正进入一个中国公司已有相当大影响力的领域。据尼日利亚政府称，自2023年底以来，中国企业已在锂加工领域投资超过13亿美元，其中包括7月在纳萨拉瓦州投产的一座2.5亿美元工厂。Jevans Nyabiage 撰稿
Washington is entering a sector where Chinese companies already have a sizeable presence. Chinese firms had invested more than US$1.3 billion in lithium processing since late 2023, including a US$250 million plant commissioned in Nasarawa state in July, according to the Nigerian government. By Jevans Nyabiage