MINING in China has long made headlines – and generally for all the wrong reasons.
From outside the country, it appears that the urgency to extract minerals is such that even the most superficial safety arrangements are ignored.
The number of mine deaths in China is among the highest in the world and growing.
How China chooses to extract its mineral wealth is a matter for the Chinese, although international organisations have expressed strong disapproval of the accident and mortality rates.
How China chooses to extract minerals in other countries must of course be a matter for the host governments to determine.
The development of the multi billion kina Ramu nickel deposits is in its early days but there are some disturbing signs that must be addressed if mining is to continue.
The discontent highlighted on our front page yesterday comes as no surprise.
The importation of Chinese security guards, allegedly heavily armed, must be reversed immediately.
That issue was the subject of questions last year, when assurances were given that no such influx would take place.
It has happened and there appears to be no intentions on the part of the managing company to change that situation.
Papua New Guineans are unaccustomed to having mines on their land exploited by foreigners, who are in turn guarded by other foreigners.
There is no reason for that decision; if the huge Porgera, Ok Tedi and Lihir mines can operate without imported heavies, then so can Ramu.
It was suggested on Tuesday that the Chinese investors should go and take an in-depth look at those long established mines and observe the conditions that have for decades been regarded as the PNG industry norm.
The mining towns offer much that is not to be found in other parts of the country.
The contracted workers expect to be treated well in exchange for the on-going isolation and separation from their families – and they are.
There have been few serious disagreements in PNG over mine conditions, accommodation, leisure facilities or catering.
The terrible turmoil that caused the implosion of Panguna mine was not generated by those issues.
Papua New Guineans will not accept peasant level terms and conditions at Ramu; they have seen what their brothers and sisters obtain at our other mines.
Nor will our people consent to being relegated to the lowest job categories.
The incoming Chinese investors appear to have no idea of the numbers of skilled Papua New Guineans employed at our other mines.
Or worse, perhaps they intend to ignore those industry parameters and employ our people in purely manual jobs at the lowest levels of renumeration.
If the latter is the case, the incoming investors may be shocked by our people’s refusal.
The company’s vice-president in PNG Wang Futian reportedly responded to the grievances by targeting just one of them – the question of local company participation in spin-off business contracts that he claimed were still being drawn-up in China.
If that is correct, it again underlines the basic lack of trust that already exists between the company and the people of the area.
Surely Ramu is the place to create and sign contracts between the investor and the locally based companies.
There is no apparent need for these contracts to be devised in China.
A trip to Lihir would show the Chinese investors what can be achieved by strong relationships between local landowner interests and foreign investors.
On another issue, the landowners are also on firm ground.
That’s the issue of the incoming Chinese being fluent in speaking English. That is a requirement laid down by each and every one of PNG’s overseas embassies and high commissions; no English, no visa.
Why should it be waived in this case?
If the Chinese wish to be accepted by the local population, then they must busy themselves and learn something of the customs and beliefs of our peoples; English and Tok Pisin would seem to be essentials for such a task.
The Ramu mine has huge potential for PNG.
But China needs to recognise that it is not of such over-riding importance that our people will accept a latter-day Freeport in the Madang province.