Chinese people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Chinese people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Les Chinois en République démocratique du Congo
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg
China Democratic Republic of the Congo Locator.png
Total population
5,000–50,000 [1] (2015)
Regions with significant populations
Kinshasa, Katanga
Languages
Mandarin, French, Lingala and other Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Religion
Irreligion, Buddhism, minority of Roman Catholicism
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]

Related Research Articles

The earliest known human settlements in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated back to the Middle Stone Age, approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states, such as the Kongo, the Lunda, the Luba and Kuba, appeared south of the equatorial forest on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has declined drastically around the 1980s, despite being home to vast potential in natural resources and mineral wealth; their gross domestic product is $69.474 billion as of 2023. During the last five reported years the exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo have changed by $15.2B from $13.3B in 2017 to $28.5B in 2022. The Economy of DRC is largely underestimated because the majority of Gold/Cobalt is sold on Black Market or Smuggled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country. Furthermore, chronic economic mismanagement and internal conflict has led to serious under-investment over many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katanga Province</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Country in Central Africa

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply Congo, is a country in Central Africa. By land area the country is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 109 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous Francophone country in the world. The national capital and largest city is Kinshasa, which is also the economic center. The country is bordered by the Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, the Cabinda exclave of Angola, and the South Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lubumbashi</span> Second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lubumbashi is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital and principal city of the Haut-Katanga Province, Lubumbashi is the center of mining in the region, acting as a hub for many of the country's largest mining companies. No definite population figures are available, but the population of the city's urban area is estimated to be around 2,584,000 in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gécamines</span> Congolese commodity and mining company

La Générale des Carrières et des Mines (Gécamines) is a Congolese commodity trading and mining company headquartered in Lubumbashi, in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a state-controlled corporation founded in 1966 and a successor to the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga. Gecamines is engaged in the exploration, research, exploitation and production of mineral deposits including copper and cobalt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TP Mazembe</span> Football club

Tout Puissant Mazembe, commonly referred to as TP Mazembe, is a Congolese professional football club based in Lubumbashi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo</span> Football club

FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo is a Congolese professional football club based in Lubumbashi. Their home games are played at Stade Kibassa Maliba. FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo drew an average home attendance of 4,369 in the 2018-19 Linafoot season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

The mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces copper, diamonds, tantalum, tin, gold, and more than 70% of global cobalt production. Minerals and petroleum are central to the DRC's economy, making up more than 95% of the value of its exports.

Societé minière de Bakwanga is a diamond mining company based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Historically, the company was the largest diamond producer in the world by volume. However, following decades of decline, the company currently produces only a small minority of the DRC's diamonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moïse Katumbi</span> Democratic Republic of the Congo politician

Moïse Katumbi Chapwe is a Congolese businessman and politician. He leads the Together for the Republic party. He was Governor of Katanga Province, located in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 2007 to September 2015. He was a member of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) until September 2015. He has been described by The Economist as "probably the second most powerful man in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the president, Joseph Kabila". Jeune Afrique named him "African of the Year" in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Democratic Republic of the Congo relations</span> Bilateral relations

The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have maintained diplomatic relations since 1961 and contacts between the two regions stretch back to 1887 when representatives of the Congo Free State established contacts with the court of the Qing dynasty. The first treaty between the two powers was signed in 1898.

Kinsevere is an open pit mine and Heavy Media Separation plant with an electric arc furnace formerly operated by Anvil Mining, and now operated by Minerals and Metals Group. It is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Lubumbashi, Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Copper mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo mainly takes place in the Copper Belt of the southern Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dikuluwe Mine</span> Mine in Lualaba Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Dikuluwe Mine is a copper and cobalt mine near Kolwezi in Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dikuluwe is the westernmost of the Dima Pit group, with Mashamba West and Mashamba East. The quarry was opened in 1975 and was planned to be connected to the nearby Mashamba West pit. The combined Dikuluwe and Mashamba West deposits are now run by La Sino-Congolaise des Mines SA (Sicomines), a joint venture majority owned by a Chinese consortium, with Gécamines holding a minority stake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Gertler</span> Israeli billionaire businessman

Dan Gertler is an Israeli billionaire businessman in natural resources and the founder and president of the DGI group of companies. Until 2022, his group had mining and oil interests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and has invested in diamonds, iron ore, gold, cobalt, copper, agriculture, and banking. As of 2024 his fortune was estimated at $1.5 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo–India relations</span> Bilateral relations

Democratic Republic of the Congo–India relations are the international relations that exist between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celestin Kanyama</span>

General Celestin Kanyama is a former Police Commissioner for Congolese National Police.

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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