Interview: Ties with China remain robust -- Vice PM

KINSHASA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ties between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and China remain robust, said DRC Vice Prime Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba.

The DRC-China partnership has been developing and making continuous progress as it is deeply rooted in people-to-people exchanges, shared cultural and historical memories, more than bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Samba told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Last month in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, Samba, also the DRC's minister of national economy, attended the 2025 Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation, and visited universities, enterprises and commercial platforms. The trip has helped him better understand China's development logic based on its opening-up, he said.

During his stay in Zhejiang, Samba paid a special visit to the city of Yiwu, which he described as "a true supermarket of the world."

In his view, Yiwu is not only a hub for commercial exchanges, but also a meeting place for different cultures. "People don't go there just to buy or just to sell. These commercial exchanges also allow people to get to know other people better," he said.

On the foundation of bilateral cooperation, Samba said that while the mining sector is an important component, cooperation between the two countries goes far beyond it.

Highlighting the DRC's agricultural potential, he said his country has all the conditions needed to become an agricultural powerhouse, provided it strengthens agronomic research.

In the field of infrastructure, he said, bilateral cooperation has delivered tangible results. He cited the urban ring road project in Kinshasa, being built by Chinese companies, which he believes will "radically change the configuration of the city and the way residents move around."

On the industrial front, Samba said the DRC is seeking, through its partnerships, to strengthen local production capacity and reduce dependence on raw material exports. More and more Chinese enterprises are investing and doing business in the DRC, which has effectively promoted the development of local manufacturing and industry. Summing up this vision with a vivid image, he said: "We are going to have our own little Yiwu here in Kinshasa."

On the history of bilateral relations, the vice prime minister noted that it has long gone beyond economic and trade collaboration.

When he was a child, he himself had witnessed agricultural experts from China going deep into the fields, living and eating with local people, and imparting rice-growing techniques. This became his earliest and most direct understanding of the cooperation between the two countries.

"The Chinese agricultural mission left imprints that are still visible today," he said, adding that such a deep integration into local communities is one of the distinctive features of the relationship between the DRC and China.

He emphasized that China remains a trusted, steady and consistent partner of the DRC.

The long-standing historical foundation has helped ensure the stability and continuity of bilateral relations amid an increasingly diversified landscape of cooperation, he said.

Regarding China's economy, Samba said it has become one of the main drivers of global growth. In his view, China's experience in economic development and poverty reduction provides valuable insights for developing countries, including those in Africa.

The vice prime minister said cooperation between the DRC and China is anchored in a long-term perspective. Beyond current projects, bilateral cooperation will not only support economic transformation but also contribute to shared prosperity, he said. ■