Premier Li says Chinese firms should abide by local laws and regulations as
he begins four-nation tour of continent.
Last updated: 04 May 2014 08:56
Li Keqiang, China's prime minister, has set off for a four-country tour of
Africa, acknowledging "growing pains" in China-Africa cooperation.
In a news release quoted by the state news agency on Sunday, Li urged
Chinese companies to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, hold
themselves accountable for the quality of their projects and goods and to
consumers, and "shoulder due responsibility" for local communities and the
environment.
Last year, China-Africa trade reached $210bn, with more than 2,500 Chinese
companies operating on the continent, according to Xinhua.
But tensions exist around allegations of shoddy construction and a lack of
respect for employment and other local laws.
Many projects in Africa funded by China have Chinese men working on them, an
issue that has prompted complaints from locals who fret that jobs that they
should be doing are going to Chinese.
The quality of Chinese products sold in most African countries has also led
to complaints that they are substandard.
Li said companies have encountered "growing pains" and the Chinese
government takes such issues seriously.
He said that problems in the China-Africa relationship were, however,
"isolated cases".
Troubles in Zambia
Last year, Zambia's government seized control of a Chinese-run coal mine,
saying Chinese managers had failed to address safety, health and
environmental concerns.
In 2010, two Chinese managers at the mine were accused of shooting miners
during a labour dispute, and clashes in August reportedly saw one Chinese
worker killed and two others injured.
Li is visiting Ethiopia, where the Chinese funded the construction of the
headquarters of the African Union, and Nigeria, which overtook South Africa
this year as Africa's largest economy.
He will also visit Angola, a major oil producer, and Kenya.
The visit to Africa, his first since he became prime minister last year, is
the second in more than a year by China's top leaders.
In March 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a string of deals during
a visit to the Republic of Congo.
The deals included a river port in Oyo, Congolese President Denis Sassou
Nguesso's hometown, and a sea port in Pointe-Noire that can export mineral
ores shipments.
Before Congo, Xi visited Tanzania and South Africa.
China has become one of Africa's major trading partners in recent years, but
has been criticised by the West for ignoring human rights abuses in some of
the countries it deals with.