Revisions to one of China's most controversial investment deals in Africa will allow the Democratic Republic of Congo to take its first steps next week towards securing a new aid package from western donors who had objected to parts of the deal.
The International Monetary Fund, which had pressed Congo to adjust its terms, “congratulated” the government yesterday on making the revisions and said it would now begin the process of considering a new aid programme for the country.
The deal has exemplified the tension between Chinese and western models of delivering aid to Africa as the cash-strapped Congolese government, in common with several others, has struggled to maintain access to both sources of financing.