Amid the ongoing trade disputes that Beijing has instigated against Australian exporters, the Republic of Congo (ROC)—which is heavily indebted to China—has stripped three Australian mining firms of major iron ore projects under alleged “unlawful and arbitrary” circumstances. The move comes as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to wield considerable influence via debt-trap diplomacy on the African continent. Two Australian miners, Perth-based Sundance Resources and Equatorial Resources have triggered dispute resolution mechanisms after the ROC government withdrew their mining licenses in violation of its mining laws, handing the projects to a mysterious entity called Sangha Mining. Three projects located in the northwest of the ROC are in dispute, including Badondo (operated by Equatorial), Nabeba (Sundance), and Avima (Core Mining Congo). The ROC Mining Code mandates that mining permits be granted exclusively to the company holding exploration rights to a project, according to a statement by Equatorial (pdf). By handing the …