Nicolas Kazadi: DRC’s New Partnership with China to Revise Mining Agreements

For the Congolese Head of State, Félix Tshisekedi, his state visit carried out at the invitation of his counterpart, the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping in Beijing, capital of China from May 24 to 29, 2023, was an opportunity to review the state of the historical relations and friendship which have bound the two States for 51 years and to promote their transformation towards a partnership of strategic and global cooperation by agreeing together, with a view to effective materialization, the revitalization of the China-Democratic Republic of Congo Joint Economic and Trade Cooperation Commission.

During the press briefing held on Monday, June 5, Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi explained the need to change the “Mines against infrastructure” partnership to the new vision proposed by the DRC to China, centered on a “strategic cooperation partnership and global.”

For the Congolese financier, the first partnership with China was not well negotiated, hence the need to propose another in a purely friendly setting.

Mines against infrastructure is not comparable to the strategic and global partnership. The latter is the general philosophy of our partnership.

The first partnership was not balanced, well negotiated and well implemented. Responsibilities are shared. is what we want to correct in all friendship with China. If there is a dispute, we will settle it in all friendship with China.

There is no reason for us to go to war because we believes that there is an imbalance. This visit was important because it reaffirms that China remains a key partner for the DRC. We want this partnership to be win-win”, explained Nicolas Kazadi.

This new perspective initiated by the DRC will rectify several mining agreements, in particular Tenke Fungurume Mining SA, one of the largest producers of copper and cobalt, a subsidiary of China Molybdenum.

“We have corrections to make on the TFM contract based on the erroneous data that the Chinese company inherited from its American predecessors. We want fair agreements regardless of the partner country”, he said. . 

In its new approach with China, the DRC wants to benefit from the added value of the Sino-Congolese partnership and insists on strict compliance with social and environmental standards.

“When we talk about strategic and global partnership, it’s because we want to broaden the vision. At least for a while we will remain very close.

China is the first country in the transformation of cobalt. We want to transform locally and that the added value remains in the country.

Artisanal production also deserves progress in terms of compliance with social and environmental standards, etc. The Chinese side has undertaken to speak to their companies so that we are divergent on compliance with these standards.” , suggested Nicolas Kazadi. 

For the latter, China remains an essential partner for several countries in the world. 

“Today on a global scale, no country can do without China. The most important thing for the DRC is to do well for the overall benefits of partner countries and humanity. This is why the issue of the environment was part of the discussions,” he concluded. 

Recall that in an investigation report, the General Inspectorate of Finance had denounced the unbalanced nature of the Chinese contract signed under the regime of Joseph Kabila by which China had undertaken in exchange for the exploitation of mineral wealth to build infrastructures which the country has badly needed since its accession to independence. 

The Chinese side had undertaken, via a consortium of Chinese companies (GEC), to build 3,500 km of roads, as many kilometers of railways, 31 hospitals with 150 beds and 145 health centres. 

All for an estimated value of 6.5 billion dollars and in exchange for mining concessions in the DRC and loans to the Congolese state.

Several years after this failure, President Félix Tshisekedi has just made his first state visit to China with a view to trying to rebalance things within the framework of this contract with the Chinese authorities on the eve of the resumption of discussions in Kinshasa between the DRC and the Chinese side.