The relationship between the Democratic Republic of Congo/Zaïre (DRC) and the People's Republic of China (China) has evolved significantly during the past 40 years. From a largely strategic alliance favouring a more prominent position for China in Africa and on the world stage and symbolic development assistance in support of Mobutu's regime, it has developed into a business partnership featuring thriving bilateral commerce and increasing private investment by Chinese multinationals. During the past decade, the DRC has become the target of a number of major investments from China, especially in the mining sector, where a planned US$6 billion resources-for-infrastructure swap has sparked a great deal of controversy among global financial institutions and advocacy groups. Most of the costs of developing and rehabilitating the DRC's transportation infrastructure are covered by loans from China, as are around a quarter of the costs of building new energy infrastructure. At least one large Chinese multinational is poised to engage in large-scale development of oil palm plantations, and there is evidence that the volume of timber exports to China has been increasing rapidly. Given the great importance of conserving and sustainably managing the DRC's extensive forest ecosystems, which are vulnerable to development pressures and extractive activities, as well as the continued severe economic disadvantages experienced by most of the Congolese population, research is needed to gauge the impacts of increased trade and investment and to assess the efficacy of existing institutions in overning the related environmental and social impacts. As part of its project 'Chinese trade and investment in Africa', the CIFOR and its partners ...