Civilians interact in the street with members of Guinea's armed forces after a coup d'etat in Conakry, capital of Guinea on September 5, 2021. Guinean special forces seized power in the coup after arresting the country's president Alpha Condé and imposing an indefinite curfew in the poor west African country. The majority of the international community condemned the coup. Photo: AFP

Chinese mining projects in Guinea were acquired through legal procedures and relevant contracts have been recognized by new authorities in the country, the Chinese Embassy in Guinea told the Global Times on Wednesday, after speculations about reviews by local authorities on mining rights.

However, in an exclusive statement to the Global Times, the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Guinea also said that Chinese companies still face safety and other risks and called for optimizing investment environment.

"After the political shift, the new authorities immediately publicly acknowledged various legal international agreements, including the mining agreements signed by Chinese company, and actively created a good environment to help companies resume production," the embassy said in the statement.

The statement came as some local media reports said that the country's newly appointed mines and geology minister announced his action plan to review the mining rights of some projects in the country.

In the statement, the Chinese embassy said that the review of mining rights will be conducted under the legal framework, focusing on illegal mining and corruption and will be aimed at optimizing investment environment and boost developing in the mining sector.

"Chinese companies obtained mining rights for mining projects in Guinea in accordance with legal procedures. Mining development has helped Guinea increase tax revenue and create jobs, and has good political, economic and social benefits," the Chinese Embassy said in the statement.

A total of 14 Chinese state-owned and private companies are involved in the aluminum business in Guinea, according to aluminum industry research firm Antaike.

In 2020, China, the world's largest producer and consumer of aluminum, imported 52.7 million tons of bauxite from Guinea.

In addition to aluminum, Chinese companies have invested heavily in the Simandou project, the world's largest undeveloped iron ore deposit. The project has accumulated reserves of more than 10 billion tons of high-grade iron ore.

However, while Chinese projects there have planted deep roots in the development of the West African country, the Chinese Embassy noted that Chinese mining companies in Guinea still face many risks such as public security and union activities. 

Chinese companies, while complying with regulations, should also strengthen community outreach activities and optimize investment environment, the embassy said.

On Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to Guinea Huang Wei, in a meeting with Morissanda Kouyaté, Guinea's new Minister of Foreign Affairs, also urged the Guinean side to take effective measures to effectively guarantee the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Guinea.

Huang said at the meeting that the two countries have a profound traditional friendship and that China is willing to provide assistance within its capacity to Guinea's transition process, according to a statement posted on the official website of the Chinese embassy.