Financiers urged to boost engagement with rights NGOs
Human rights activists have urged mainland financial institutions to establish a dialogue with ordinary Africans and environmental groups when they plan projects on the continent, to raise the quality of their investments and improve China's international reputation.
'Chinese investment institutions should strengthen their engagement with international and local organisations,' Peter Bosshard, of the US-based environmental and human rights organisation International Rivers Network, told a Washington forum on the role of the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim) in Africa on Thursday.
'This will help the Chinese develop investment standards based on common and acknowledged practices,' he said.
There has been growing international concern about the environmental and social impact of China's rapidly increasing investment in Africa.
The World Bank estimated that trade between the two regions topped US$50 billion last year.
During November's Forum on China-Africa Co-operation in Beijing, President Hu Jintao said the mainland would provide US$8 billion in loans and preferential buyer credits, including a US$5 billion special fund, to encourage Chinese investment in Africa.
