The death in October of a 16-year-old Chinese gold miner in Ghana, along with the arrest of over 90 of his colleagues, has once again shone a spotlight on the plight of Chinese workers in Africa.

An estimated 1 million Chinese citizens now live on the continent, the majority being workers in the field of construction and mining who often live in rural areas. A recent report by the South Africa's Brenthurst Foundation on Chinese workers and traders found that the vast majority of these workers and traders still live in sealed off "cocoons," not integrating with local communities in African society, and perpetuating an "us and them" scenario. This of course gives rise to mutual suspicion and tension. The report said workers all believed they could make a better living abroad than at home and were willing to work long hours and endure considerable hardship in order to achieve their goals.

As more and more Chinese workers seek employment and business opportunities in Africa, a spate of incidents indicates that a change in the approach of workers, and those who get them to Africa, is needed.

In recent times, these incidents involving Chinese workers in Africa have been frequently highlighted, beginning with the kidnapping by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North of 29 workers in Sudan early this year.

In August, the Chinese-owned Collum Coal Mine in Zambia was the scene of demonstrations by Zambian miners that left one Chinese national dead and one seriously injured. The miners were protesting alleged delays by management in implementing a new minimum wage. More than $1 billion has been invested by Chinese companies in Zambia's copper industry.

That same month, 37 suspected Chinese gangsters were repatriated from Angola on charges of kidnapping, theft and extorting their compatriots. This incident showed that Chinese workers in Africa not only face security risks because of an often volatile environment on the continent, but in this case they also needed protection from their own Chinese community, which numbers in excess of 250,000 in that country.

At the end of September, Ghana, Africa's second biggest gold producer, deported 38 Chinese miners for unlicensed gold mining. This incident exploded further during October with Chinese nationals arrested by Ghanaian authorities during a crackdown on illegal gold mining by foreigners, resulting in the killing of a Chinese miner. Reports have said that Chinese workers are being tricked by illegal agents into going to work in Ghana under false pretenses.

All these incidents caused much anger in China.

So what needs to be done to address the growing frictions relating to Chinese workers in Africa?

While armed protection for workers in Africa has been mooted, it is an unrealistic option, as it would further create divides between Chinese and Africans in a social sense. From a legal sense, a law should be drafted to address China's workforce beyond its borders. It must elucidate the role of recruitment agents, the manner in which any labor disagreements should be dealt with, and what the responsibility of government is in the event of labor disputes.

In addition, China needs to consider setting up a supervisory body that can effectively inform those who leave China's shores to work in foreign countries about their rights, obligations, embassy contacts and how their safety can be protected in the event of conflict. The answer clearly lies in information, communication and the education of workers. Adapting to African laws and culture of the host country should be foremost on the minds of foreign-based Chinese workers, just as African workers in China need to adapt to Chinese customs and laws.

Sending uninformed Chinese workers to Africa is a recipe for disaster that has the potential to ignite conflict and alienate Africans.

The Editor