China pledges deeper DRC ties as African leaders gather in Beijing for FOCAC summit

President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold string of talks with African counterparts ahead of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

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President Xi Jinping with counterpart Félix Tshisekedi from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the source of more than 60 per cent of China’s cobalt, in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 5:13pm, 2 Sep 2024Updated: 8:11pm, 2 Sep 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to deepen agriculture and mineral processing cooperation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to help the African nation “transfer resource advantage into development momentum”.

Meeting Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi in Beijing on Monday, Xi also vowed to consolidate “mutual political trust”, saying the two countries were “fellow travellers on the road to modernisation, and should be close friends with similar aspirations [and] mutual benefits”.

It was one of several pledges for closer African ties as Xi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met leaders from the continent ahead of the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) starting on Wednesday.

At least 50 African heads of state and government will visit Beijing for the forum, according to state news agency Xinhua. Beijing has labelled the three-day event as the biggest “major diplomatic event” hosted by China in years.

In his talks with Xi, Tshisekedi hailed the “mutual benefits” brought by cooperation with China. The DRC supplies more than 60 per cent of China’s cobalt, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and electronics, making it a key player in the Asian giant’s transition to green energy.