By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-24 08:01:39 | Updated at 2025-01-24 13:04:58
5 hours ago
China’s embassy in the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo has been warning Chinese citizens and firms not to venture into the eastern part of the country because of worsening security.
“The security risks faced by Chinese citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remain high,” the embassy said last week. “Chinese citizens and enterprises still in the area are requested to evacuate or move to safe areas as soon as possible.”
But the warnings have not been enough to deter a growing number of Chinese nationals attracted by the war-torn region’s massive deposits of gold, tin, tungsten, coltan, tantalum and other minerals.
According to Eric Mikalano, a researcher in natural resource governance, most of the Chinese arriving in the high-risk province of South Kivu – one of the areas specifically mentioned by the embassy – have the protection of high-ranking local politicians.
“They come to South Kivu informed of the security situation, the potential and the procedure to follow to exploit minerals,” said Mikalano, executive secretary of the NGO initiative Good Governance of Natural Resources in the provincial capital Bukavu.
The gold rush coincides with a surge in prices for the precious metal, which extended gains last year to more than US$2,600 per ounce – up from about US$2,000 at the end of 2023 – as investors seek safety amid intensifying geopolitical uncertainty.
