Michael Sheridan, Far East Correspondent
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The boycott of a Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe has cast new light on the connections between the African country’s president, Robert Mugabe, and a secretive Chinese arms-trading firm with a controversial track record from the Congo to Darfur.
The ship steamed towards China last week after dock workers in Durban refused to unload it and a South African court blocked the transit of its cargo of mortar and small arms ammunition.
The 15,000-tonne An Yue Jiang is registered in the southern city of Guangzhou and has been operated for about 20 years by Cosco, a state-owned cargo line.
When Levy Mwanawasa, the president of Zambia, called on every country in the region to reject it, the ship became an embarrassment to Beijing, which has made a huge political and financial investment in Africa.
Company documents show that Poly Technologies, the manufacturer of the weapons on board the ship, is ultimately controlled by a clique from China’s preeminent military clans with close ties to the Communist party leadership and army.
Major General He Ping, the company’s chairman, is the son-in-law of Deng Xiaoping, the former Chinese leader; its president, Wang Jun, is the son of a vice-president and a Deng ally. Its upper ranks are stuffed with military veterans and their offspring, who have greatly enriched themselves with arms sales to some of Africa’s bloodiest trouble spots.
Diplomatic sources say Mugabe forged links with the Poly Technologies management on state visits to China. Since Zimbabwe is all but bankrupt, the arms are paid for by barters of agricultural products and raw materials.
On paper, Poly Technologies is a subsidiary of the China International Trust and Investment Corporation. Analysts of Chinese financial affairs say, however, that Poly is actually a front for an elite within the country’s military-industrial complex and that it reports to the general staff department of the People’s Liberation Army.
“People call it the supreme headquarters of the China princeling party,” commented one analyst. “It’s a power centre beyond civilian control.”
Although Poly discloses almost no financial details, its customers for small arms and ammunition include Sudan and Burma. Chinese AK-47 assault rifles made by Poly have turned up in the war-torn eastern Congo, among other African battlefields. Its other sales include short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles to Iran and Pakistan.
In 1996 Poly was named by prosecutors in connection with an attempt to smuggle 2,000 AK47s into the United States.
“China has done nothing wrong with regard to weapons exports to Zimbabwe,” said Guo Xiaobing, a researcher quoted by the Guangzhou Daily, in the ship’s home port.
“This is only a topic for the western media to use to put pressure on China. There is no United Nations embargo on arms to Zimbabwe, so China’s business is legal.”
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so really, Mr William Carlson, you are still saying the U.S. owns the world and can do whatever it wants. I don't blame the U.S.A. I blame hypocritical governments and people with crazy religous and nationalistic ideas who support them.
Leo, Beijing, China
The selective hypocrisy and outrage of people amazes me.
To our American friends, how is this different when US was complicit with Ethiopia buying massive armaments from North korea .
Please google
Ethiopia bought arms from North Korea with U.S. assent
dave, Brighton, UK
Are we really surprised ?
Ian Payne, WALSALL,
When you smack the USA enough that we go back behind our protective ocean then the love fest with dictators will come back to bite you. All i see from the EU is hatred of the west, our demacracy and of themselves. Keep blaming others while your own Rome burns to the ground as you blaming the USA.
William Carson, Atlanta , USA
Tell the names of western leaders and princelings who are members of the CITIC International Advisory Council- headed by Wan Jung. Mid 1990's we had Bob Hawke, Brian Mulroney and George Shultz. The board of CITIC has Paul Desmarais Jnr- Jean Chretien's son in law. How far does the western rot go?
John Mitchell, Hong Kong, China
to enn, Hia, USA,
Hehe, nice try. But I can tell you we as Chinese won't!! Not EU, not US, not anyone in the world will be able to do so. So stop day dreaming! Why not you go bring down your Bush Monarchy for his bloody war in Iraq?! I bet you can't. Man, that's so called democracy:)
Carol, NY, USA
Like it or not, China is already the world's second super power! And with the Americans very heavily indebted to them financially (to the tune of more than 4 trillion dollars!!), they can - to all intents and purposes - damn well do what they want on the world scene. And they said communism was bad!
J Guevarra, Stevenage, UK
Just one only one torpedo, cost a few thousand lousy bucks
Result thousands of human beings saved
I used to think there was justice in this corrupt world
Boy, am I wrong we are accomplices to this crime
There will come a time of accountability
I do not think God will come to our aid at all
John Alldis, Murwillumbah NSW, Australia
To enn, Hia, USA:
oh my god, have u been to China? I have worked in both China and UK. The tax rate on average in UK is twice of that in China. I am shocked when at the first time I know I need to pay council tax, VAT, TV license... By the way, Tibet was, is and will always be a part of China.
Ran, York, UK
And the Chinese veto will make sure it stays legal, China cannot shrug this off so easily as to state "Chinas business is legal.
When she knows darned well that shipping weapons into tribal conflicts in Africa means a lot of innocent blood will be spilled. but its all legal, roll on Olympics,,,NOT
Peter, Vancouver BC., Canada
How old are you????? enn,Hia.?????School and Libraries stillcan provides You to learn more,before You comment about China activities in Africa in the last some700 or 800 years, trading in bussiness Arabian,African, Indian Via Indonesia [Sriwijaya,Bugis, Maluku] no slavery or colonising, revise it !!
Martinus, Melbourne, Australia.
I'd bet money that if the Chinese were denied the Olympics, it would have brought them at least partly into line, both on arms dealing and on Tibet. Why is the west so stupid?
David Ashton, Bathurst, Australia
Chinese use slave labor to get money to enrich their elite and quite their dissenters. Eventually they will fall just like the Berlin wall felt, Their own people will bring their monarchy down.
Meanwhile we have to thank the European Union for standing up for Tibet. The USA owes too much to China
enn, Hia, USA