L’agentivité africaine « alimentée par la Chine » et ses limites : Le cas de la RDC 2007-2019

The report analyzes the DRC's strategic use of its relationship with China to gain leverage over Western donors and the IMF, specifically during the 2007-2009 Sicomines agreement period. It argues that while the DRC successfully used China to accelerate debt relief and secure infrastructure funding, this agency was limited and ceased after 2010 as China shifted toward a more cautious, risk-averse, and 'responsible' international diplomatic strategy.

• Between 2007 and 2009, the DRC government successfully utilized 'China-fueled agency' by playing China and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) against each other to secure both infrastructure loans and debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
• The 2007 Sicomines agreement linked mining assets to infrastructure funding, with the China Exim Bank providing a credit line for infrastructure estimated at 6.5 billion dollars and mining operations in Lualaba province estimated at 3 billion dollars.
• The Sicomines deal initially blocked the HIPC debt relief process because creditors found it politically impossible to cancel debt while the DRC contracted billions in new debt from China.
• From 2010 to 2019, the DRC could no longer exercise this agency because China shifted to a 'prudent diplomacy' strategy, reducing large-scale state-backed development financing in favor of private corporate investments.
• China's increased caution in the DRC was driven by operational risks, including the 2012 temporary withdrawal of the China Exim Bank and fluctuations in copper and cobalt prices.
• China's desire to be perceived as a 'responsible international actor' led it to align more closely with IMF debt sustainability frameworks and avoid public challenges to Western positions, as seen during the 2018 DRC elections.
• Under President Félix Tshisekedi, there has been an effort to formalize and remodel the DRC-China relationship to reduce the dependence seen under Joseph Kabila, including involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rather than a small circle of presidential allies.

APA

Malm, J. (2021). L’agentivité africaine « alimentée par la Chine » et ses limites : Le cas de la RDC 2007-2019. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Policy-Insights-106-malm-french-version.pdf

Chicago

Malm, Johanna. L’agentivité africaine « alimentée par la Chine » et ses limites : Le cas de la RDC 2007-2019. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Policy-Insights-106-malm-french-version.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Malm |first1=Johanna |title=L’agentivité africaine « alimentée par la Chine » et ses limites : Le cas de la RDC 2007-2019 |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Policy-Insights-106-malm-french-version.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{malm2021lagentivit, author = {Malm, Johanna}, title = {{L’agentivité africaine « alimentée par la Chine » et ses limites : Le cas de la RDC 2007-2019}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Policy-Insights-106-malm-french-version.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }