China and DR Congo vow tighter ties, discuss mining contracts

China and the Democratic Republic of Congo will strengthen their partnership and step up cooperation, Beijing said Friday. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the elevation of the bilateral relationship from a strategic partnership of win-win cooperation to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership", China's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The large central African country is a major exporter of copper, uranium and cobalt but remains one of the world's poorest states. Tshisekedi is the latest in a series of African leaders to visit China in recent weeks, following delegations from Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Gabon.