[Unofficial translation provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

In response to the recent attacks and smears against Chinese enterprises in Zimbabwe by a small number of local media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the existing shortcomings of individual Chinese enterprises, in order to show the candid attitude and position of enterprises in Zimbabwe.. [and] to strengthen industry self-discipline and jointly protect the traditional friendly relationship between China and Zimbabwe, the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe publicly issued a written statement of initiative on February 20 to all Chinese-funded enterprises, self-employed persons in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean government, parliament, media, etc., solemnly proposed 9 proposals, calling on local media and organisations to treat Chinese enterprises objectively and impartially, and oppose any smearing and smudging against Chinese enterprises... and call on the majority of Chinese enterprises in Zimbabwe to operate in accordance with laws and regulations, conduct business with integrity, and properly deal with issues concerning the interests of local residents, protect the rights and interests of local employees in compliance with the law, protect the natural environment and historical and cultural heritage, cooperate with the disclosure of information following by the law, actively fulfil corporate social responsibilities, interact with the media, respect local traditional customs, oppose activities concerning illegal production, negligence of environmental protection, labor relation and social responsibility. We call on governments at all levels in Zimbabwe to avoid granting projects with risks such as demolition disputes, environmental risks, and cultural conflicts to Chinese enterprises and strengthen inspection, supervision and management of all foreign-funded enterprises in accordance with the law. The initiative finally calls on the people of China and Zimbabwe to work together to improve Zimbabwe's investment environment, attract more foreign investment, and jointly promote Zimbabwe's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood.

The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe highly agrees with the above-mentioned initiative statement. [...]

[...]

1. We support President Mnangagwa's advocacy on obtaining the consent of local residents before starting mining projects, and call on relevant departments of the Zimbabwean government and local governments to pay attention to and intervene in the current disputes between a few projects invested by Chinese enterprises and local residents, and to coordinate among all stakeholders and properly handle relocation and other issues involving the vital interests of the people. ...
2. We advocate that enterprises protect the rights and interests of Zimbabwean employees in accordance with the law, implement the requirements of wage standards, [...]working hours and labour protections, and improve the treatment of workers according to the improvement of enterprise profitability; attach importance to interaction and negotiation with trade unions, and properly resolve labour disputes through legal channels and listen and respond to employees' reasonable demands.
3. We advocate that enterprises take the initiative to disclose information in accordance with the law, and support the Zimbabwean government to disclose the registration information of investment enterprises, as well as project ownership, license holdings, profit distribution plans, taxation, environmental protection situation [...]
4. We advocate for investors to strengthen interaction with the media, and encourage Chinese investors to actively accept media interviews and reports, truthfully respond to public concerns, introduce project contributions, and report project difficulties without affecting the production safety and normal operation of the project. [...]