The China mission in Ghana has expressed disconcertion at the manner in which the West African country is treating Chinese engaged in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).

The concerns of the China mission follow an onslaught launched by the Akufo-Addo government on galamsey activities.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources has given the galamseyers a three-week ultimatum to stop their operations which are devastating water bodies in the country or get flushed out.

However, a letter sent to the ministry by the China mission expressed concerns about “defamatory” reports by the local media against Chinese officials and their government.

"The Chinese side is very concerned about this unhealthy tendency,” the letter said, adding: “We hope the Ghanaian government will pay due attention to this situation, take necessary action to stop such things from happening,” the letter said.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the illegal mining issue. The position of the Chinese government on this issue is consistent and clear-cut. The Chinese is firmly opposed to the involvement of Chinese citizens in illegal mining in Ghana and supports the efforts taken by the Ghanaian government to tackle the illegal mining issue within the legal framework.

"We sincerely hope that the Ghanaian government shall take responsibility of guiding the media and requesting them not to publicise such defamatory reports or stories against Chinese leaders, officials and the Chinese government. This will help create a sound environment for our joint efforts to address this issue and the continuous development of our bilateral relations."