Arms ship blocked at ports returns to China

A SHIPMENT of Chinese arms bound for Zimbabwe will be recalled after South African port workers refused to unload the vessel and neighbouring countries barred it from their ports, China said yesterday.

The recall of the An Yue Jiang, carrying 77 tonnes of assault rifle ammunition, mortars and rifle grenades, came after unprecedented regional opposition and Western pressure over Zimbabwe’s election crisis.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference in Beijing that the ship is to be recalled after it was unable to offload its cargo.