Vol 5 (AAC) No 12 | MADAGASCARTHAILANDBRIEFING At the political coalface 2nd October 2012 Plans by two Thai companies – PTT Asia Pacific Mining and Italian-Thai Development Company (Italthai) – to develop rich coal deposits at Sakoa have stalled amid...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 12 | SOUTH KOREA Kim Yong-Hwan 2nd October 2012 CEO, Export-Import Bank of Korea As part of Korea’s attempt to boost relations with emerging markets, Exim Bank Chief Executive Officer Kim Yong-hwan hosted a conference for diplomats from Africa...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 12 | VIETNAM Bui Thanh Son 2nd October 2012 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam On 7 September, Bui Thanh Son welcomed 200 Vietnamese companies and African diplomats to the Vietnam-Africa-Middle East Business Forum, an initiative of the Vietnam...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | ZAMBIACHINA Careless communication costs lives 3rd September 2012 Confusion about the new minimum wage law and tensions between workers and management lie behind the death of a Chinese mining boss in August The killing of Wu Shenzai on 4 August and the wounding of his two compatriots by Zambian mine workers demanding the implementation of the newly revised minimum wage...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | ZAMBIACHINA Investment relations 3rd September 2012 Despite the travails in Zambia's relations with China and fears that changes in mining regulation and taxation would scare off Asian companies, the flow of investment continues. Officials...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | CÔTE D'IVOIRECHINA ADO brings back the billions 3rd September 2012 China’s interests in Côte d’Ivoire are growing and, for now, the focus is on infrastructure in a country recovering from ten years of political crisis As soon as he touched down at Abidjan's Felix Houphouët-Boigny airport on his return from the 19-20 July fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, President Alassane Dramane...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | MADAGASCARMAURITIUSCHINA Rogue rosewood exporters 3rd September 2012 A series of scandals about illegal timber exports increases pressure on the government to seek international protection for the country’s forests Proof continues to mount about the role of Chinese business interests in the illegal trade of rosewood from Madagascar. Rosewood is harvested from protected areas in Madagascar and...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | MADAGASCARCHINA Back on the Mainland 3rd September 2012 Mainland Mining, a subsidiary of China Geo Engineering Corporation, faces opposition as it tries to mend its ways and restart activities on its ilmenite (titanium-iron oxide) exploration permit...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | CHINAEAST AFRICA Trader beware! 3rd September 2012 Chinese traders already feeling the heat from local competitors in Kenya, Malawi and Uganda now face new regulations and restrictions to their activities after protests by local businesses....
Vol 5 (AAC) No 11 | BOTSWANACHINA Construction fraud trio go free 3rd September 2012 A corruption trial involving managers of Chinese construction companies has fizzled out, at least for now. The three – erstwhile China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation General Manager...