Politics could be at play in the latest falling-out between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chinese companies over a US$6 billion minerals-for-infrastructure deal signed more than a decade ago that Kinshasa says was poorly negotiated and favoured the Chinese side.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi will be seeking re-election on December 20, and observers say the DRC government is stepping up pressure on Sicomines, a joint venture by the DRC and Chinese companies, to force the renegotiation of the deal signed in 2008 as part of a plan to use the infrastructure projects as a campaign tool.
The DRC’s General Inspectorate of Finance released a report last week that said the DRC was yet to benefit from the deal.
Continue reading HERE
Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3211192/chinese-controlled-copper-and-cobalt-mining-joint-venture-being-turned-political-pawn-congo
__________________________________________________________________
BEIJING, June 15 (Reuters) – China’s economy stumbled in May with industrial output and retail sales growth missing forecasts, adding to expectations that Beijing will need to do more to shore up a shaky post-pandemic recovery. The economic rebound seen earlier this year has lost momentum in the second quarter, prompting China’s central bank to cut…
Russia unleashed its most intense attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its invasion Tuesday night – as experts warn the latest launch, prompting NATO jets to scramble into Polish airspace, is evidence of Moscow’s ramped-up lethal drone production. Russia fired 728 Shahed and decoy drones along with 13 cruise and ballistic missiles, more than 200 above the previous…
The Tomahawk cruise missiles have a strike range of more than 1,000 kms and will be carried by the Australian Navy’s Hobart Class destroyers Australian announced on Monday that the country has finalised an agreement to purchase highly effective long-range weapons from the United States. This move comes as Australia seeks to respond to the…
China’s 12-point plan blames Western governments’ ‘Cold War mentality’ for Russian invasion The People’s Republic of China has called for a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine, releasing a 12-point “peace plan” on the one-year anniversary of the invasion. China’s position paper calls for an immediate end of violence in Ukraine and a return to dialogues…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department on Tuesday for files in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation and is seeking depositions with the Clintons and former law enforcement officials, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to President Donald Trump and former top officials. The Republican-controlled…
Researchers discovered chamber inside Egyptian Great Pyramid using modern scanning equipment Egyptian officials revealed the discovery of a mysterious, 30-foot-long corridor sealed off inside one of the Pyramids of Giza on Thursday. Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa described the discovery in a Thursday press event, saying the chamber is thought to be some…