Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s stopover in Kinshasa on his latest Africa tour highlights the growing importance of the DR Congo in Chinese foreign policy. During his visit, Wang announced a modest debt relief package and that the DRC would become the 45th African country to join the Belt and Road Initiative.

But those initiatives belie the DR Congo’s importance to China. The Chinese are in the midst of a major cobalt buying binge, a critical metal found largely in the DRC. Similarly, Kinshasa has been a reliable supporter of Beijing’s controversial positions at the United Nations, including its stance on Xinjiang.