A recent report by the UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) alleges Chinese diplomats and officials are directly involved in the ivory trade in Africa. Most damaging, the EIA reports that even some members of visiting Chinese president Xi Jinxing’s delegation smuggled dozens of kilos of ivory back after an official state visit to Tanzania in March 2013. If true, the optics of such allegations are terrible and go a long way to undermine China’s soft-power diplomacy initiatives. However, our guest this week, journalist and Chinese CSR activist Huang Hongxiang of China House in Kenya, says these stories are often much more complex then they are portrayed.
Huang Hongxiang graduated from Journalism school in Fudan University and SIPA (School of International and Public Affairs) in Columbia University of New York. As a freelance journalist for Southern Weekly, Atlantic, Mail&Guardian and so on, he went to Africa and South America many times to investigate and report on various issues, while at the same time focusing on Chinese investment with its related social environmental conflict resolution.
In May 2013, Mr. Huang graduated from SIPA and headed to Africa, where he works as a freelance journalist and business representative/consultant for responsible Chinese investment projects. In realizing his adventure dream about Africa and South America, he is dedicated to construct multi-stakeholder dialogue for China’s Going Out and ensure the sustainable development of Chinese overseas investment.
Huang is the founder of the Nairboi-based China House Kenya that provides consulting services to Chinese companies in Africa on sustainable development and investment. Click here to follow the China House Kenya on Facebook.
About the Environmental Investigation Agency
Click here or on the image below to download the full EIA report that includes the allegations Chinese diplomats and officials are involved in buying vast quantities of illegal ivory in several African countries.
