In the Democratic Republic of the Congo there is a significant community of

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

migrants located in the capital of

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

and the mineral rich southern Haut-Katanga Province. According to official figures from the Chinese embassy, there are 5,000 Chinese living in the DR Congo, though the actual number is believed to be far higher. More recent estimates vary from 5,000 to 50,000. The

Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces copper, diamonds, tantalum, tin, gold, and more than 63% of global cobalt production. Minerals and petroleum are central to the DRC's economy, making up more than 95% of value of ...

is a main reason for Chinese people moving to the DRC.

Business

Business links, both by individual entrepreneurs and state owned enterprises, has brought Chinese migration to the DRC. The first wave of migrants were individuals who opened stores, restaurants, and private medical clinics. Chinese run stores in Kinshasa are typically scattered across neighborhoods and are not concentrated in any

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

. The stores carry a range of household goods and change money. Some small scale entrepreneurs are in mining. In

Katanga Province Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika, Hau ...

60 of the 75 mineral processing plants are owned by Chinese entrepreneurs. Chinese employers have been criticized for their use of child labor and lack of health and safety standards. Major deals have been signed by Chinese state owned companies and the DRC government. In 2012, Chinese investors and the Export-Import Bank of China offered to build $6 billion worth of infrastructure as part of a loan backed by collateral in mineral rights. These state owned enterprises have brought Chinese employees to the country.

Anti-Chinese violence

Congolese mobs have attacked Chinese businesses on at least two occasions. In December 2010, local team TP Mazembe lost to Italian club Inter Milan. Mobs in Lubumbashi were angered by the calls made by a Japanese referee who was mistaken for Chinese, provoking attacks on Chinese businesses in the city. During protests in January 2015 against the government of Joseph Kabila, Chinese businesses in the Kinshasa neighborhoods of

Ngaba Ngaba is a municipality (''commune'') in the Mont Amba district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La ...

and

Kalamu Kalamu is a municipality (''commune'') in the Funa district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It forms the part of the city to the south of major buildings such as the Palais du Peuple ("Palace of the People" ...

were targeted for destruction. An

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...

article on the attacks reported the motivation for violence was both resentment by local businesses that had difficulty competing against the low prices of Chinese run stores and association by rioters of Chinese nationals running stores with investment deals concluded by Chinese companies and the government.

References

{{Overseas Chinese Democratic Republic of Congo Ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo