[Multiple Bearish Factors Stall the Uptrend; China’s Tantalum Market Undergoes Short-Term Adjustment While Medium and Long-Term Support Remains Solid] Recently, the sustained upward momentum in China’s tantalum products market came to a halt, with the overall market entering a phase of temporary consolidation and adjustment. Upward momentum slowed markedly in the short term, mainly due to three core factors: the transmission of macro sentiment, changes in circulating supply, and weakening raw material costs.

From January 28 to 29, 2026, the Rubaya coltan mining area in North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was hit by massive landslides triggered by persistent heavy rainfall. The disaster caused the collapse of multiple artisanal mining tunnels. All mining operations at the affected mining area have been fully suspended, and nearby residents have completed emergency evacuation.

[SMM Analysis: Domestic Conflicts in the DRC Have Not Yet Affected Copper Production and Transportation] The areas affected by conflicts in the DRC are mainly located in the northern and eastern provinces, while copper resource production is primarily distributed in the southern provinces of Katanga and the southernmost edge of Lualaba Province along the copper belt. There is a significant distance between the conflict zones and the copper production areas. Currently, there have been no reports of copper ore production being impacted by the conflicts. On the other hand, the DRC's resource exports are mainly transported by rail directly to Angola, Tanzania's Dar es Salaam Port, and South Africa's Durban Port. The railway lines generally extend laterally or southward, avoiding the conflict zones in the north. So far, there have been no reports of copper ore transportation routes being affected by the conflicts.

In the world of electronics manufacturing, tantalum holds a position as an element contributing significantly to the effectiveness and operation of a wide range of devices. Its distinctive characteristics are vital for companies looking to create notch products.