China says 31 nationals held in Zambia for illegal mining

BEIJING: Zambia has detained 31 Chinese nationals for illegal mining in the African country’s copper belt but has failed to provide strong proof of their crimes, a senior Chinese diplomat said as he lodged a complaint.

Lin Songtian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s director-general for African affairs, told a Zambian diplomat in Beijing that China understood and supported actions to crack down on illegal mining, the ministry said in a statement late on Sunday.

However, Zambia had not only not provided strong proof of the crimes of the 31 detained but had also detained a pregnant woman and two victims of malaria, Lin said.

“China expresses serious concern and resolute opposition to this,” the ministry cited Lin as saying.

China hoped Zambia could handle the incident appropriately and as soon as possible, and release the innocent, Lin said. The government has always asked Chinese companies and citizens to respect the laws of the countries where they operate, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday.

But China opposes “selective” law-enforcement actions against its citizens, she told a daily news briefing.

“China will continue to pay close attention to developments in this case,” she added.

Chinese companies have invested more than $1 billion in copperrich Zambia but there has been animosity, with some Zambian workers accusing firms of abuses and underpaying.