It is imperitive that further arms and amunition do not reach the Mugabe regieme. Diplomatically this presents problems but the South Africa dockers have shown what people-power can do. Can the Internatioal Labour Organisation, other international trade union bodies and our own TUC take action now to ensure that dockers in other African ports also p?revent this shipment from reaching Zimbabwe

John Button, Maidenhead,

As at Saturday 7.30pm, Maputo is denying the An Yue Jiang is headed to Mozambique. They claim the South Africans say it is going to Luanda.

Sokwanele is reporting on a viral, citizen campaign to track the An Yue Jiang and stop her off loading arms in Africa.

www.sokwanele.com @ their blog.

Any news from the SADC meeting in Mauritius?

Jo, Olney, UK

Go civil society and the unions in SA! And thanks for this full report to The Times.

Could the ship be headed to Maputo or Beira, both of which have rail links to Harare? Can President Chissano be prevailed upon not to offload the munitions? Will China recall the munitions? Will SADC discuss this shipment at their meeting in Mauritius this weekend?

The old man is as cunning as a fox. I wouldn't mind betting he had us watching the An Yue Jiang while several other ships were offloading in Beira. After all Chinese Military Advisers were seen in Mutare (which is the border city in Zimbabwe) on the railway line from Beira.

He is not reasoning: I will either get 3m bullets or Thabo Mbeki will get egg on his face. He is a past master at compromising and embarrassing people. It would be good to know if Thabo Mbeki had prior knowledge of the shipment and how he feels about being involved or not consulted and made a laughing stock.

PS Mozambique IS a member of the Commonwealth.

Jo, Olney, UK

The question now has to be what will happen when the ship gets to Mozambique?.......... The country has, for many years been a complete mega bugly stuff up with astounding lack of organisation......... however, of all the countries in sub saharan Africa, it is one of the most dependant on foreign aid.

The western world needs to waste no time in making it clear to what passes for Government in Mozambique, that if the cargo is allowed to pass through the country, ALL foreign aid will cease immediatly........... lets hope the western Governments have the backbone to make that clear.

steve, white river, south africa

Once the Chinese develop their fleet, to the point where the Americans just have to get out of their way, there isn't going to be much anyone can do to stop them land grabbing. No one is going to provoke a nuclear war with China.

Mark Johnson, Liverpool,

No one in intelligence has ever come out and said what many of us would take as truth ...that China is deliberately destablising nations for future military gaols.
A report from the christian mission field in China many years ago showed maps on Chinese classroom walls showing Australia as New South China.
A subsequent report I read following this from another traveller in China said the same but called Australia New China.
Check out kings of the east if you have time.
It speaks about a vast asian army one day crossing asia towards Israel.

G. Gibson, Sydney, Australia

Couldn't they have got the ship to take Thabo Mbeki as well???

David Ashton, Bathurst, Australia

Another few years and South Africa will be like Zimbabwe / Rhodesia - another good country ruined by native tribalism. Mbeki should join Mugabe in prison. Good for the unions: at least someone in South Africa has some sense.

Terry Dell, Weybridge, UK

Finally some sense being applied.

Brian, Oak Hills, California USA

good for the dockers
they have more guts than the politicians, apparently

grindles, London, england

Africa needs democratic government that provides social interaction and interactive civil order. China needs new lands for their massive population and food for the masses in China. As HIV continues and destabilizes Africa then vacated lands present opportunities. For China, movement into Africa makes a good tactical positioning.

However, will African people give farm lands to the Chinese to grow needed food? The Chinese can put African lands to productive uses; and with military presence, China can provide civil order. Has this change of management been made formal with a signed agreement? Has the formal agreement been put into circulation at the United Nations?

It might present good adaptations; but without agreement to all parties, the China-Zimbabwe military advancement might need additional interactive work. Without additional work then might skeptics consider Armed Chinese troops in Zimbabwe as Chinese adventurism?

Does improved China-Zimbabwe interaction need United Nations consideration? Is such an improvement correct for other Southern Africa nations? It has promise.

Thomas C. Inskip, Gulan, Guatemala