The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, recently explained why the Eastern influence is outshining the Western influence in Africa rating Russia and China over Western countries in transparency and ease of doing business.
According to Sputnik, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) noted that Russia and China treat the DRC with better esteem and more clear intentions without the need to lecture like Western countries.
President Felix said that his country has the right to deepen its ties with Russia.
In France, Israel was condemned for some actions in Gaza. Does this prevent France from maintaining its relations with Israel? Why do they want to judge us when it comes to Africans? One should not judge us. We have the right to the friends we want and we are friends to all those who want to be our friends … Russians want friendship with Africa and DR Congo, so why should we refuse? There are no reasons for that,” the DRC president stated.
President Felix added that China and Russia are less sneaky than the West and they are partners with clear interest coming through the front door.
He also believes that both China and Russia will come out on top in no distant time.
A recent survey revealed that China and Russia now have a better approval rating in Africa than the United States. In 2023, the United States had a 56% approval rating, China 58%, and Russia 64%.
According to Gallup, an American consulting Agency, The United States’ global approval ratings remained below 50% while its disapproval rating continued to climb.
Western critics have often accused China of attempting to colonize Africa using a debt trap policy that seeks to keep African countries dependent on loans from China.
However, China has denied this theory saying its intentions in Africa are Genuine and are a larger part of the Win-Win policy promoted by its President Xi Jinping.
What to know
- Congo is the world’s biggest producer of cobalt, a key component in batteries for electric cars and mobile phones. It is also the world’s third-largest copper producer. Its mining sector is largely dominated by Chinese companies.
- In January, Chinese companies invested up to $7 billion in Congo’s mining infrastructure to expand the mining sector in the central African country.
