The history of relations between Guinea and the China is old

The history of relations between Guinea and the China is old. Guinea is the first sub-Saharan African country established diplomatic relations with China. "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Guinea, October 4, 1959, sino-guinéennes relations develop." The two countries cooperate on the economic, commercial, cultural, educational, health plans, as well as in international affairs. "In 2003, China became the main trading partner of Guinea after the France: it provides cheap manufactured goods and reduced dependency on its traditional trading partners", explain Sékou Falil Doumbouya and Ibrahima Sambégou Gassama, researchers of the Group of research and support to the economic and social development (Grades). These links are are further tightened in October 2009, when the two countries signed an agreement providing for Chinese investment between 7 and $ 9 billion in mining bauxite Guinean and related infrastructure.

The three major mining groups and metallurgical foreigners present in Guinea, Rio Tinto, Rusal, Alcoa, fully understood the significant influence that Beijing has on Conakry. That is why the first is set to finalize a joint venture with the Chinese State holding company Chinalco to unblock the thorny giant project folder in the Simandou iron ore. This deposit, for the development of which the mining group planned to invest around 12 billion dollars, contains 2.2 billion tonnes of ore resources.

Simandou region is regarded as the third richest in the world in ore of iron, after those of Pilbara, Western Australian, and Carajas, in the Brazilian Amazon. The project is blocked since December 2008, after the junta in power in the African capital has decided to divest half north of the deposit to RHL Resources, a firm belonging to the Israeli magnate Benny Steinmetz. Blessed by Beijing, the new alliance with Chinalco, which could also encompass the enormous project of Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold, sis in the Mongolian desert Gobi, and assets in the aluminum sector, would be well seen by the Guinean regime.

Long-term cooperation

Similarly, the focus of the strategy of the Russian Rusal on China could help the world leader of the grey metal to resolve the dispute on the exploitation of the mining and metallurgical complex in bauxite and alumina Friguia, acquired in 2006. Last year, Conakry has cancelled the privatisation of Friguia and demanded a compensation of $ 1 billion of Rusal. Worse, recently, the Guinean regime has published two decrees that increase the risk of expropriation of mining assets. The Russian is present since 2001 in the African country with the company of Bauxites of Kindia (CBK). An attempt to overcome these obstacles, Rusal announced on 19 February, the establishment of a bipartite commission with the Guinean authorities to define the outlines of a long-term cooperation.

China is not its only iron to the fire. Far from it. The Group of Oleg Deripaska can count on the support of the Kremlin. "Rusal is strong relationship between the Russia and the Republic of Guinea", sets out the company. Relations between the Russia and Guinea are also old and solid. Prior to 1985, about 30 of the application of aluminum of the former Soviet Union was the Guinean raw. In August 1959, economic and technical cooperation agreement had been signed between the two countries.