Human rights and environmental harms linked to Chinese companies’ overseas investments in minerals critical to the energy transition are increasing year on year, according to new research published today. The Business and Human Rights Centre documented 326 allegations of abuse between 2023 and 2025, bringing the total recorded since 2021 to 434 allegations across transition mineral projects linked to Chinese companies.

The global spread of Chinese investment in transition mineral mining projects was clearly reflected in the data, with Indonesia recording the highest number of allegations (96), followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (52), Myanmar (36), Serbia (32) and Zimbabwe (20). The report highlights how the rapid expansion of investment in minerals essential for electric vehicles, batteries and renewable energy technologies are intensifying risks for workers, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and the environment. This, combined with an increasingly fraught environment for those being silenced for speaking out against companies, paints a concerning picture in transition mineral supply chains associated with Chinese companies.

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The findings show that ten Chinese companies accounted for nearly two thirds (65%) of all allegations recorded between 2021 and 2025. It also found:

• Allegations affected local communities (179), the environment (169) and workers (143), with concerns relating to impacts on livelihoods, health, land rights, occupational health and safety, wages, work-related deaths, water pollution and environmental contamination.
• Between 2023 and 2025, 18 people were attacked for raising concerns about Chinese transition mineral projects, highlighting a growing risk for those speaking out against mining-related harms.
• Extraction remained the highest-risk stage of the supply chain (213 allegations), accounting for two thirds of all recorded allegations between 2023 and 2025 – with significant impacts of water and soil pollution on livelihood and health.
• Meanwhile, occupational health and safety risks were particularly acute in processing, smelting and refining operations, and threats to local communities, as well as Indigenous Peoples, emerged as a significant concern in the project development phase.
• Nickel (91 allegations) overtook copper (72 allegations) as the mineral linked to the greatest number of allegations, driven largely by the rapid expansion of Indonesia's nickel industry and its importance for electric vehicle batteries.
• Substantial increases in allegations were also linked to lithium (39 allegations) – largely associated with impacts on Indigenous Peoples and local communities, alongside severe pressures on water resources in surrounding areas.

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