DRC and China Set to Revive Mutual Cooperation with New Framework Agreement
The Democratic Republic of Congo and China are preparing to conclude a new framework agreement with a view to relaunching their mutual cooperation.
This shift in relations between the two States will be materialized through the signing ceremony of the new so-called “non-exclusive” partnership scheduled for Friday, May 26, 2023 at the People’s Palace in Beijing, China.
The two Chinese presidents Xi Jiping and Congolese Félix Tshisekedi will put their signatures at the bottom of this precious document which will mark the advent of a new era in cooperation between these two friendly countries.
“It is an event that coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of relations between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China,” explains Christophe Lutundula, Deputy Prime Minister, Congolese Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Indeed, the rapprochement between the two countries dates back to 1972 following the visit of President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu Sese Sese to China.
A second official trip by the Congolese President, Joseph Kabila, took place in 2015 during a time marked by strong political turbulence on the eve of the elections originally scheduled for 2016. However, the elections were ultimately held in December 2018.
Eight years later, the Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi is undertaking his first state visit to Mao Tsé-Tung’s country since assuming power in January 2019.
“When President Félix Tshisekedi took office in 2019, he made a clear commitment to initiating diplomatic relations, which had been lacking in the past,” says Christophe Lutundula, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Rather than being considered a “privileged partnership,” the new agreement between China and the DRC is described as a “non-exclusive partnership.”
According to Christophe Lutundula, the Deputy Prime Minister and Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, a “non-exclusive partnership” means that “China is free to have other partners besides Congo, and vice versa.”
Over the years, China has become the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most important trading partner.
In 2021, trade between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo reached a volume of $14 billion.
According to Chinese customs data, only $9 billion was accounted for the previous year (in 2020). This poor performance is undoubtedly linked to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The jump will be even more significant in 2022, as trade between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to experience a decisive turning point. It reached $5.6 billion in the first quarter of 2022, reflecting an average growth of 98% compared to the same period in 2021.
According to Christophe Lutundula, the objective of reviving cooperation between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo is to increase Chinese investment in the country’s priority sectors, including infrastructure, bilateral cooperation, digitalization of public administration, defense and security, the environment, and more.
