The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Félix Tshisekedi, is visiting China, amid tension with Beijing over lucrative mining contracts.
President Tshisekedi wants to re-negotiate mining deals with Chinese companies.
He has said the $6bn (£4.9bn) contracts, originally signed in 2008, have benefited the Chinese far more than the Congolese.
China’s embassy in Kinshasa has rejected the allegations.
Mr Tshisekedi is on a six-day visit to China, where he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping to review and sign several trade deals.
The DR Congo is the world’s largest producer of the battery material cobalt. It also has significant deposits of diamonds, gold, lithium and tantalum.