The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, recently paid a visit to China. As part of this visit, he met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to strengthen relations between the two countries, particularly in terms of cooperation in the field of security.
Felix Tshisekedi was realistic about his expectations of cooperation with the middle empire on security issues. He acknowledged that China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has gained great influence in the world.
The Congolese president stressed that China could be an important partner in the search for peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Indeed, China is one of the top ten contributors of soldiers and police to UN peacekeeping missions.
However, Felix Tshisekedi also said that the Democratic Republic of Congo does not ask China to take sides in the region’s conflicts, but rather to support peace-seeking and confidence-building efforts.
At the end of his visit, China called on the countries of the African Great Lakes region to respect the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, to guarantee the sovereignty, security and integrity territory of each Member State. She also condemned acts of violence and human rights violations by armed groups.
In conclusion, Félix Tshisekedi’s visit to China has strengthened relations between the two countries and made it possible to see that China could play an important role in the search for peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo.