China and the DRC enjoys long-standing friendship. Our cooperation in various areas has yielded fruitful results. For many years in a row, China has been the DRC’s largest trading partner and source of foreign direct investment. The two countries are already in a close community of shared interests and shared future. On May 26, President Xi Jinping held talks with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, who was paying a state visit to China. The two heads of state announced that the strategic partnership of win-win cooperation between China and the DRC will be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which charted the course for the China-DRC relationship and trade and economic development.

In the next step, MOFCOM will work with its DRC counterparts to step up coordination, implement the important consensus of our heads of state, and let the cooperation outcomes benefit our peoples. China welcomes the DRC’s participation in the CIIE, CAETE and other expos, where it may promote its investment and trade environment and expand export of specialty products to China. China will continue to encourage and support business initiatives to increase investment in the DRC and strengthen cooperation in energy, mining, manufacturing, agriculture and the digital economy. China will expand infrastructure cooperation with the DRC in clean energy, transportation, telecommunications and other areas with more diversified cooperation formats. The two sides will continue to make good use of the joint trade and economic committee to better guide trade and economic cooperation and contribute to the growth of China-DRC comprehensive strategic partnership. Thank you.