"The Shanghai World Expo was another great milestone in China after the 2008 Beijing Olympics," Faustin Kiala, an economic operator in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Kiala, who is also the president of the Bana Mbanza Mpangu farmers' association, said that after the successful organization of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the Chinese people have demonstrated to the international community that they have taken their destiny in their own hands and that they are committed to a development process which today makes their country one of the greatest economic, political, cultural and scientific nation on the planet.

"I think that a country like DR Congo should copy the Chinese development model so that she can also become an economic powerhouse in Africa.

"In the agricultural sector, for example, we have a lot to learn from China. In DR Congo, we have very fertile soils and water sources that can help us to carry out extensive farming. China has shown her capability to feed the over one billion people and export more food to other parts of the world. This is a an agricultural powerhouse that we should emulate," he explained.

The president of Bana Mbanza Mpangu association pointed out the need for DR Congo to develop close relations with China, especially in the agricultural, cultural and tourism sectors.

"For us at the associational level, we are using the Chinese model to manage our organization and develop our structures. We are still searching for Chinese partners who can help us to develop our agro-pastoral zone," he said.

Kiala said the Shanghai World Expo opened China to the world, and more specifically to DR Congo.

"This was an opening up by the people of China to the world. The success of the Expo was the fruit of seriousness, selflessness, hard work and patriotism exhibited by the Chinese people," Kiala added.

He regretted over the failure by DR Congo to strongly participate in the Shanghai World Expo.

"It's so sad that DR Congo did not send enough economic operators to this 'give and take' exhibition. China is an indispensable partner and an example to be emulated by all developing countries," he affirmed.

Kiala said he would like to see China and DR Congo coming up with Sino-Congolese agricultural exhibition, so that there can be exchange of experience and skills between farmers and researchers from the two countries.

"Just as China wants to open up to the world, DR Congo must open up to China," he told Xinhua.

The Bana Mbanza Mpangu association is an agricultural organization bringing together Congolese intellectuals from various domains. This organization has set up a number of agricultural and educational projects in Kinshasa and Bas Congo provinces, where it possesses huge tracts of agricultural land.