DRC Included in Agreement for Rebalancing Chinese Contract Provisions
The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a group of Chinese companies, China Airways Corporation and Synohydro, initiated contract revisions on April 22, 2008, to balance the interests of both parties. The process began on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
Present at this work following the publication of the report of the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF), which denounces the imbalances in the execution of the Chinese contract, Jules Alingete, Inspector General and Head of Department of the IGF, indicated that this procedure has already been provided for by the signatory of the said contract.
According to him, this procedure is not something new. Because, he says, the signatories of the convention had already planned a revisitation if one of the parties considered it necessary.
“First of all, there is the determination of the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi, expressed many times and the last time he made it known during the last weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers.
In view of the elements of the imbalances observed, the Congolese side is now examining and deepening, we must arrive at a revisitation. And then it’s not something new.
The convention itself has provided for a revisitation when either party feels that there are things that need to be changed. said Alingete.
It should be noted that this working session between the Congolese and Chinese parties was chaired by the Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic, Guylain Nyembo Mbwizya.
Several members of the Congolese Government took part in these talks, in particular the Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, the Minister of Justice and the Deputy Minister of the Budget.
After a first day of work devoted to the presentation of the report of the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) and the defense of the Chinese side, the two parties will continue discussions within a commission.
This commission’s mission is to shed enough light to allow the Democratic Republic of Congo to return to its most legitimate rights.
During the previous weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, held on Friday March 17, 2023, the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi took a stand in favor of revisiting this contract to restore the balance between the two parties.
The President of the Republic had motivated this decision following cases of non-compliance with the provisions of the contract, non-performance of contractual commitments and subjectivity in certain actions taken by the parties.
In his communication to the members of the Government, Félix Tshisekedi dwelled on the worrying nature of this situation which he describes as deplorable both on the one hand for the development of the mining sector which is to date the engine that drives growth economy of the DRC and on the other hand, by the slowness of the dynamism which should normally know the program of construction of the infrastructures which the DRC badly needs for the hatching of its potential as well human as economic.
This issue has not gone unnoticed in the House of People’s Representatives. On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, during the plenary devoted to the adoption of the calendar for the March 2023 session, the President of the National Assembly, Christophe Mboso, announced that his institution will very soon look into this convention. of cooperation.
“It should be noted that during this session, contracts signed between the Congolese State and certain partners will be subject to parliamentary control such as the Chinese contract and many others.
I wanted you to remember this, that in the days to come we are going to invest ourselves because this bad governance is depriving the Congolese State of the revenue essential for development,” said Christophe Mboso. “recalled Jules Alingete.
