The Chinese embassy in Kinshasa rallied to the defense of its embattled mining companies in the DRC, blaming recent controversies on “individuals who have fabricated stories and spread false information to attack and denigrate, without scruple and without any foundation, Chinese companies to incite hostility.”

It’s not clear from the embassy’s statement published on Friday whether they were responding to the numerous videos that have appeared on social media in recent weeks depicting the maltreatment of local mine workers by Chinese managers, allegations of widespread environmental violations by Chinese mining companies in places like South Kivu, reports of illegal Chinese mining activities or if it’s related to the ongoing investigation into Chinese mining contracts in the DRC.