Category: Politics

Today we’re featuring a fascinating conversation with the Congolese analyst Christian-Geraud Neema Byamungu about recent developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In case you haven’t been following this story, the last few ...

After months of negative media coverage, Chinese mining companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are pushing back against the perception they aren't fulfilling their contractual obligations to provide social services and build infrastructure for the local communities where they ...

Chinese mining interests in the DR Congo are now pushing back aggressively against the perception that they are unfairly exploit Congo's natural resources through unfair contracts, avoiding taxes, and not fulfilling corporate social responsibility commitments. The companies, many of which are ...

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new initiative aimed squarely at challenging China's dominance in building infrastructure throughout the Global South. Von der Leyen unveiled the "Global Gateway" plan on Wednesday during her annual "State of the European Union" address before ...

As the next Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) draws closer, the same sentiments and concerns over Africa’s relative position in the 20-year-old arrangement keep coming up. It is widely acknowledged that the continent generally gets the short end of the stick ...

Police fired tear gas on Monday to disperse hundreds of protestors demonstrating against a Chinese-owned gold mine in the small South Kivu town of Kitutu in the far eastern DR Congo province of South Kivu (map).  The demonstrators are ...

Tensions between Chinese companies and local labor unions have been simmering all year and now it appears the issue is escalating into a charged political attack against the government for not doing enough to protect worker rights. "People are ...

DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi is again turning up the pressure on Chinese mining companies with his drive to re-evaluate mining contracts that were negotiated under his predecessor's tenure. During a Council of Ministers meeting on Friday, ...

Chinese mining bosses for years played the game as everyone else in the DR Congo. Money pretty much solved every problem. Need a permit? Pay some money. Get in trouble with the law? Pay some money. Under-counting cobalt reserves? Pay some money.

 "The outcome of the coup attempt is unclear, but the political turmoil offers a test for this relatively new supply chain. Investors need to mull a range of possibilities, from a relatively peaceful power transfer in Conakry that preserves the bauxite status quo, to more disruptive scenarios ...

So far, Guinean bauxite exports to China appear unaffected by last Sunday's coup and policymakers in Beijing are no doubt hoping it stays that way. They would like to avoid having to turn to Australia for further supplies of the critical metal used to manufacture aluminum.

The Chinese government issued a short but pointed condemnation of this weekend's coup in Guinea that deposed President Alpha Condé. "China opposes coup attempts to seize power," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin (photo) at the regular press ...