The Democratic Republic of Congo’s commitment to the original China deal has also been compromised by the dire state of the country’s public finances and the pressing need for short-term emergency loans, for which it needs to curry favour with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The country’s fiscal position has deteriorated rapidly since last October when a surge in military expenditure related to a conflict in eastern Congo coincided with the downturn in commodity prices, which strangled tax and export revenues.