Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba is led by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Chinese honor guard members arrive for a welcome ceremony for Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Chinese honor guard members prepare for a welcome ceremony for Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Chinese honor guard members stand during a welcome ceremony for Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

General view shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba holding a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Chinese President Xi Jinping gestures as he speaks during a meeting with Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect the honor guard during a welcome ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect the honor guard during a welcome ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, April 19, 2023. Ken Ishii/Pool via REUTERS 

A view shows the Gabonese presidential Palace where the One Forest Summit takes place in Libreville, Gabon, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau 

Journalists enter Gabonese presidential Palace to attend the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau 

Professor Alfred Ngomanda, of the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research, Specialist of the protection of the Tropical Forest, talks to journalists during a press visit of the Arboretum Raponda Walker, a protected forest aera, on the eve of the opening of the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau 

Andrea Biong, ecoguard responsible of the Arboretum Raponda Walker, talks to journalists during a press visit of this protected forest aera on the eve of the opening of the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau 

A view shows an ecoguard walking on a path in the Arboretum Raponda Walker during a press visit of this protected forest aera on the eve of the opening of the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau 

A view shows an ecoguard walking on a path in the Arboretum Raponda Walker during a press visit of this protected forest aera on the eve of the opening of the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau 

Andrea Biong, ecoguard responsible of the Arboretum Raponda Walker, is seen with ecoguards during a press visit of this protected forest aera on the eve of the opening of the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Pineau 

Eco-guide in the Pongara National Park, Ghislain Bouassa, shows a propagule - a mangrove seed, in Pongara National Park, Gabon, October 15, 2021. Picture taken October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Alessandra Prentice 

Eco-guide in the Pongara National Park, Ghislain Bouassa, looks through leaves to find propagules - mangrove seeds, in Pongara National Park, Gabon, October 15, 2021. Picture taken October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Alessandra Prentice 

An aerial view shows a mangrove field that has been cleared to make space for new constructions, in the Mindoube 1 neighborhood, in Libreville, Gabon October 17, 2021. Picture taken October 17, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

An aerial view shows a mangrove field that has been cleared to make space for new constructions, in the Mindoube 1 neighborhood, in Libreville, Gabon October 17, 2021. Picture taken October 17, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

An aerial view shows mangrove field that has been cleared to make space for new constructions, in the Mindoube 1 neighborhood, in Libreville, Gabon October 17, 2021. Picture taken October 17, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Elephants are seen on the edge of the forest at Pongara National Park, near Libreville, Gabon, October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Elephants seen through thick vegetation in forest at Pongara National Park, near Libreville, Gabon, October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Elephants are seen through thick vegetation in forest at Pongara National Park, near Libreville, Gabon, October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Elephants are seen through thick vegetation in forest at Pongara National Park, near Libreville , Gabon, October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Elephants are seen on the edge of the forest at Pongara National Park, near Libreville, Gabon, October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Gabon's Minister of Forests, Oceans, Environment and Climate Change, Lee White, eats fruit picked up in a forest in the Pongara National Park, Gabon, October 16, 2021. Picture taken October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Chistophe Van Der Perre 

Gabon's Minister of Forests, Oceans, Environment and Climate Change, Lee White, stands in a forest in the Pongara National Park, Gabon, October 16, 2021. Picture taken October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Chistophe Van Der Perre 

Eco-guide in the Pongara National Park, Ghislain Bouassa, sits on the trunk of a mangrove tree, in Pongara National Park, Gabon, October 15, 2021. Picture taken October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Alessandra Prentice 

An aerial view shows mangrove trees, in Pongara National Park, Gabon, October 15, 2021. Picture taken October 15, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Mangrove trees and their roots are pictured in Pongara National Park, Gabon, October 15, 2021. Picture taken October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

An aerial view shows a logging road going through the rainforest in Nyanga province, Gabon, October 14, 2021. Picture taken October 14, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Chistophe Van Der Perre 

Log workers write up information on a stump moments after cutting an eveuss tree in a rainforest, in Nyanga province, Gabon, October 14, 2021. Picture taken October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Alessandra Prentice 

Lumberjack Rodrigue Mboumba's face is freckled with sawdust after a fall of an eveuss tree in the rainforest, in Nyanga province, Gabon, October 14, 2021. Picture taken October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Chistophe Van Der Perre 

Lumberjack Rodrigue Mboumba slices through eveuss tree trunk with a chainsaw in Nyanga province, Gabon, October 14, 2021. Picture taken October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Chistophe Van Der Perre 

Lumberjack Rodrigue Mboumba slices through eveuss tree trunk with a chainsaw in Nyanga province, Gabon, October 14, 2021. Picture taken October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Chistophe Van Der Perre 

Workers check the quality of plywood made in Gabon's Special Economic Zone in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Workers check quality of plywood made in Gabon's Special Economic Zone, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Aerial view of stock bulldozer picking up a log in Gabon's Special Economic Zone Log Park, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Stock bulldozer moves a log in Gabon's Special Economic Zone log park, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Aerial view of stock bulldozer placing log on truck lorry in Gabon's Special Economic Zone log park, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Aerial view of logs piled on top of each other at Gabon's Special Economic Zone log park, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

A truck transports logs to Gabon's Special Economic Zone, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

A worker at Gorilla In and Out Furniture set up in Gabon's Special Economic Zone assembles a wooden desk, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

A worker at Gorilla In and Out Furniture set up in Gabon's Special Economic Zone assembles a wooden chair in a warehouse full of finished furniture, in Nkok, Gabon, October 12, 2021. Picture taken October 12, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

An aerial view of Pongara National Park, near Libreville, Gabon October 11, 2021. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

Aerial view of Gabonese rainforest, in Arboretum Raponda Walker, Gabon, October 11, 2021. Picture taken October 11, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Christophe Van Der Perre 

The headquarters of Total’s Gabon operations in Libreville, Gabon March 22, 2017. Picture taken March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Gerauds Wilfried Obangome 

Visitors walk along a beach in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

Visitors walk along a beach in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

A woman sells dried fish fish at a market in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

An OiLibya petrol station is seen in front of an outlet of French retail group Geant in Libreville, Gabon February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

A woman buys vegetables at a market in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

Visitors walk along a beach in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

A man sells fish at a market in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

Cars drive past a billboard for telecommunications company Gabon Telecom in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings 

A man walks past a billboard for telecommunications company Gabon Telecom in Libreville, Gabon, February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings