Kinshasa, June 5th, 2021 (CPA).– The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zhu Jing, told the press on Wednesday at his residence in Kinshasa, on the occasion of the commemoration of the friendship cooperation established soon 50 (fifty) years, that Sino-Congolese trade reached USD 4.2 billion between January and April 2021.
According to the Chinese diplomat, in terms of bilateral trade in 2020, the two countries achieved USD 19,000,000,000 (nineteen billion) with a surplus of USD 5,000,000,000 (five billion) in favor of the DRC. Also, from January to April 2021, Sino-Congolese trade reached USD 4.2 billion with an annual growth of 4.6%. According to him, Chinese investments have grown for 6 (six) years, compared to 2015. In terms of health, several actions have been undertaken by China in favor, not only of the DRC, but also of other countries of the African continent. Regarding the covid-19 pandemic which strikes all five continents, he indicated that his country has set up a system for all Congolese nationals residing in China, in order to be vaccinated voluntarily and free of charge, without forgetting that his government has also offered its vaccines to the Congolese authorities and discussions are underway.
In terms of infrastructure, the Chinese ambassador said Sino-Congolese cooperation is also materializing through various infrastructure financed by Chinese companies. The exchanges of views with the press also focused on the proposal of the President of the Republic, Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo to revisit all the mining contracts, which China fully supports. On the DRC’s candidacy for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, China pledges its support as a long-time friend.
“As a good friend sympathetic to the misfortune that has struck the population of the city of Goma, China promises its support via the Chinese Red Cross which will provide humanitarian aid in the coming days. The time for them to identify the needs, the number of victims and find an agreement with the Congolese authorities, ”concluded the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in the DRC, Zhu Jing. ACP/