Chinese state firms took control of Mawei Mining's Malawi concession without required approval, exposing governance gaps in African mining.
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Mawei Mining Company
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About Mawei Mining Company
Mawei Mining Company holds a heavy mineral sands license near Makanjira, on the shores of Lake Malawi, granted in late 2017. The concession is believed to contain more than 350 million metric tons of ore including zircon, titanium and rare-earth-bearing monazite, according to ICIJ, which reported that work has largely stalled since the license was granted.
Mawei is wholly owned by Xinjin International Company Ltd., registered in the British Virgin Islands. Since mid-2025 Xinjin has been held 51% by Shandong Zhaojin Ruining Mining Industries, ultimately controlled by the Zhaoyuan municipal government in Shandong, and 49% by Hainan International Resources, a Hainan provincial state-owned enterprise. The company is Chinese state-linked through these owners, not headquartered in China.
ICIJ reported in February 2026 that Malawian law requires mining companies to gain approval from the Ministry of Mining before any change in beneficial ownership, that Malawian officials acknowledged they were unaware of these transactions, and that the government launched an official investigation into the ownership changes and compliance with mining laws.
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