Chinese people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Last updated
Chinese people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Les Chinois en République démocratique du Congo
Total population
5,000-50,000 [1] (2015)
Regions with significant populations
Kinshasa, Katanga
Languages
Chinese, French
Related ethnic groups
Overseas Chinese

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo there is a significant community of Chinese migrants located in the capital of Kinshasa and the mineral rich southern Haut-Katanga Province. According to official figures from the Chinese embassy, there are 5,000 Chinese living in the DR Congo, though the actual number is believed to be far higher. [1] More recent estimates vary from 5,000 to 50,000. The Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a main reason for Chinese people moving to the DRC. [2]

Contents

Business

Business links, both by individual entrepreneurs and state owned enterprises, has brought Chinese migration to the DRC.

The first wave of migrants were individuals who opened stores, restaurants, and private medical clinics. [3] Chinese run stores in Kinshasa are typically scattered across neighborhoods and are not concentrated in any Chinatown. [4] The stores carry a range of household goods and change money. [4]

Some small scale entrepreneurs are in mining. In Katanga Province 60 of the 75 mineral processing plants are owned by Chinese entrepreneurs. [5] Chinese employers have been criticized for their use of child labor and lack of health and safety standards. [5]

Major deals have been signed by Chinese state owned companies and the DRC government. In 2012, Chinese investors and the Export-Import Bank of China offered to build $6 billion worth of infrastructure as part of a loan backed by collateral in mineral rights. [6] These state owned enterprises have brought Chinese employees to the country. [3]

Anti-Chinese violence

Congolese mobs have attacked Chinese businesses on at least two occasions. In December 2010, local team TP Mazembe lost to Italian club Inter Milan. [7] Mobs in Lubumbashi were angered by the calls made by a Japanese referee who was mistaken for Chinese, provoking attacks on Chinese businesses in the city. [7]

During protests in January 2015 against the government of Joseph Kabila, Chinese businesses in the Kinshasa neighborhoods of Ngaba and Kalamu were targeted for destruction. [1] An Agence France-Presse article on the attacks reported the motivation for violence was both resentment by local businesses that had difficulty competing against the low prices of Chinese run stores and association by rioters of Chinese nationals running stores with investment deals concluded by Chinese companies and the government. [1]

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Katanga Province Former province in DR Congo

Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba, and Haut-Katanga provinces. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Country in Central Africa

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or simply either Congo or the Congo, and formerly Zaire, is a country in Central Africa. It is, by area, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, the second-largest in all of Africa, and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 105 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous officially Francophone country in the world, as well as the fourth-most populous country in Africa and the 15th-most populous country in the world. It is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, African Union, and COMESA. Since 2015, the Eastern DR Congo has been the site of an ongoing military conflict in Kivu. The capital and largest city is Kinshasa.

Lubumbashi Provincial capital and city in Haut-Katanga, DR Congo

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Dan Gertler is an Israeli billionaire businessman in natural resources and the founder and President of the DGI Group of Companies. He has diamond and copper mining interests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has invested in iron ore, gold, cobalt, oil, agriculture, and banking. He may also hold citizenship of that country. As of 2015 his fortune was estimated at $1.26 billion by Forbes.

<i>Katanga Business</i> 2009 Belgian film

Katanga Business is a 2009 film by Belgian director Thierry Michel that explores the mining industry in Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Emmanuel Weyi

Emmanuel Ntima Weyi is a Congolese entrepreneur and former presidential candidate for the Democratic Republic of Congo. He served as the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Weyi International – a sustainable mining enterprise focused on the Congo from 2009-2014.

Democratic Republic of the Congo–India relations Bilateral relations

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Somalis in Soweto and Nairobi, Chinese in Congo and Zambia, local anger in Africa targets foreigners". Mail & Guardian. January 25, 2015. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Dem. Rep. Of Congo: Chinese minerals-for-infrastructure Sicomines deal has failed to benefit the Congolese population according to analysts".
  3. 1 2 "Chinese migrants thrive in the Congo, world's poorest nation". South China Morning Post.
  4. 1 2 "The Chinese in Africa: Meet Mr. Chen". The China Africa Project.
  5. 1 2 Clark, Simon (July 22, 2008). "China Lets Child Workers Die Digging in Congo Mines for Copper". Bloomberg.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Greg (27 October 2014). "Natural resource extraction in the DRC: China - saviour or plunderer?". Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Unrest in DR Congo after TP Mazembe lose to Inter Milan". BBC News. December 19, 2010.
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