Former President John Dramani Mahama has downplayed the effect of the deportation of Chinese nationals on the diplomatic relationship between Ghana and the Asian powerhouse.
In an interview with Accra-based TV3, the former president said he deported almost five thousand Chinese nationals who were engaged in illegal mining activities popularly called “galamsey”.
He said, however, that this action did not have any effect on the relationship between the two countries.
Mahama said he took the decision to deport the Chinese nationals not considering the relationship between the two countries stressing Ghanaians living in China will equally face the law in the Asian country when they breach it.
He was commenting on the recent rearrest of Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.
“When I was president, we value the relationship with China. But if you’re Ghanaian and you go to China and you engage in illegality, they don’t say because of the good relations they have with Ghana they are going to let you go scot-free.
“You will face the full rigors of the law in China and I don’t doubt that there are some of our citizens in jail in China. When I became president, I was faced with this same illegal gold mining.
“I deported almost 5,000 illegal Chinese miners. I didn’t say because of the good relations we have with China, we should allow them to continue to engage in this illicit activity. And we collaborated with the Chinese embassy, they got [Boeing] 747’s and came and took their nationals away. It didn’t destroy our relationships,” Mahama said.
