The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Tong Defa, has appealed to the Ghanaian media to ensure their reporting reflects the positive, comprehensive relationship between the two nations, cautioning specifically against generalising the actions of a few individuals to the broader Chinese community.
Ambassador Defa made the call while speaking at a training workshop titled “Green Mining: Best Practices for Responsible Reporting,” organised by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Aburi on Thursday.
He cautioned against narratives that generalise the actions of a few individuals involved in illicit activities, such as illegal mining (galamsey), to paint the entire Chinese community in a negative light.
He said, “I hope the Ghanaian median can have full coverage of what’s happening in this country and what’s happening between China and Ghana as a whole picture.”
He stated that the two countries have had very good relations over the last several decades, from the days of Chairman Mao Zedong and Dr Kwame Nkrumah to the present day.
The Ambassador noted that China maintains a policy requiring its citizens overseas to abide by local laws and therefore supports the prosecution of any Chinese nationals involved in illegal activities.
Beyond the appeal for balanced coverage, Ambassador Defa reiterated the Chinese Embassy’s full commitment to supporting the Ghanaian government’s campaign against illegal mining.
He highlighted China’s willingness to collaborate in promoting responsible mining practices, citing Chinese companies that are actively involved in large-scale, sustainable operations, and significant corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects that benefit local communities.
He delivered a strong warning to the authorities that the endemic problem of galamsey requires a more determined and serious national approach from both the government and its citizens.
Ambassador Defa emphasised that while China is willing to collaborate with Ghana on galamsey, the responsibility for tackling the menace, ultimately lies with Ghana.
“We support the Ghanaian government to tackle this problem. As I have reiterated many times in this country, Ghanaians must take the galamsey issue seriously. If you do not take it seriously, there is no simple way out.”
Albert Kofi Owusu, General Manager of the GNA, in an interview with The NewsCenta, said that it is the job of the media to focus on the wrongs in the mining sector to bring these matters to the attention of the authorities, especially as it is Ghana’s environment ad rivers that are being polluted.
He said, “it is the mandate and the responsibility of the media to expose the negative aspects of mining operations so policy makers can come up with the requisite policies and laws to tackle the menace.”
He however acknowledged that there are foreign companies, including Chinese companies operating in Ghana that are doing the right things, and it is fair for the media to also highlight their exemplary works.
He explained that the training programme had been organised to help journalists come to grasp with the issues in the mining industry and polish their skills and knowledge, to help them properly cover the issues in the sector with nuance and dexterity.
He said, “in the course of these three days, we will interact with all the stakeholders that have a role in mining operations in this country. We cannot let it go. As a state news wire organisation, it’s our responsibility to ensure that reporting on this issue is done with ethical considerations.”
