THE Chinese government has condemned corruption involving Chinese companies, saying it is like a disease that eats away the development it supports in Africa.

The government has vowed to step up efforts to sensitise businesses from their country to respect local laws.

The assistant minister of foreign affairs in China, Jun Zhai, told a group of African reporters in Beijing that corruption was rife not only in Africa but around the world.

"We are sternly opposed to that (corruption). It is like a disease and our job is to treat it and have fewer and fewer cases," Zhai said.

He was asked to give the government's official stance on corruption involving Chinese companies in Africa that are involved in, among others, bribes for tenders.

Zhai said African governments and China will come across corruption as they push for more co-operation and development under the forum for China-Africa established in 2006 following the Beijing summit, but it was their job to overcome it.

"As China's reform opens up we have more private businesses in Africa. We must educate them to engage in friendly ties and to respect the local laws," Zhai said.

His comments come in the wake of investigations underway in Namibia which involve a Chinese company in a N$120 million tender scandal.

China takes harsh measures against people found guilty of corruption.

Just last week, a former chief of a large state-owned airport company that runs 30 airports was executed after he was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement involving more than 100 million yuan.

Local media reported that Peiying Lee was found guilty six months ago and the Higher People's Court rejected his appeal last month.

The execution is said to have underscored the gravity of the country's continuing struggle against official corruption after President Hu Jintao said it was a serious threat to stability.

Last week the communist party also announced that it was investigating a member of its central committee for alleged embezzlement and bidding irregularities related to the construction of nuclear power plants.

China is known for executing more convicts than any other nation and Lee is not the first to be executed for financial corruption.

In 2007 the country's top drug regulator, Xiaoyu Zheng, was also executed for accepting US$850 000 in bribes to approve counterfeit medicines, one of which was an antibiotic that was blamed for the deaths of at least 10 people.

Courts claim crimes involving extremely large sums warrant the death penalty.

Last week Wednesday two other business owners were also executed for defrauding investors of around US$127 million.

From the Namibian Newspaper