Congo-Brazzaville’s Chinese Roulette
As new co-chair of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) until 2027, what does the relationship between the Republic of Congo (or Congo-Brazzaville) and China illuminate about global economic interests, political alignments and geostrategy?
Congo-Brazzaville (also known as the Republic of Congo) shares an intricate history of engagement with China, spanning nearly a century and marked by colonial-era interactions, ideological alignments and pragmatic partnerships. The Central African nation of approximately 5.8 million people stands in stark contrast to China’s 1.4 billion population. With a landmass of 342,000 square kilometres, Congo-Brazzaville is dwarfed by China’s vast 9.6 million-square-kilometre expanse. The country is also often overlooked next to its larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which tends to capture greater scholarly and media attention due to its considerable mineral wealth and incessant turmoil—most recently having escalated in January 2025 with the Rwanda-backed M23’s occupation of Goma.
Yet, Congo-Brazzaville plays an understated but pivotal global role. While the nation maintains strong ties with the West today—and in particular its former colonial power, France, through major oil companies like Total Energies—China has challenged this by positioning itself as an increasingly central alternative partner. Unlike the DRC, which has maintained stronger ties with Western nations since the Cold War era, Congo-Brazzaville has been at the forefront of global revolutions, including through its proactive role in propelling the independence of Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, and the end of apartheid in South Africa. Congo-Brazzaville’s economy is heavily reliant on oil exports, and its geostrategic position on the Gulf of Guinea endows it with notable maritime significance in regional security and trade. With an oil production of 339,000 barrels per day in 2019, Congo-Brazzaville stands out as a key member of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries); it is the second-largest oil producer in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) after Angola and the sixth largest oil producer in Africa behind Algeria, Nigeria, Angola, Libya and Egypt.
In 2024, Congo-Brazzaville took over from Senegal as the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) co-chair until 2027, making it the fifth African co-chair since Ethiopia’s inaugural position. This juncture signifies an important opportunity for Congo-Brazzaville to shape the direction of the critical Africa–China relationship...
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