China asks PHL to check 'illegal waste' shipment

Beijing has asked Manila to investigate what it said is an illegal shipment of metal waste products to China from the Philippines. China Certification and Inspection Group (CCIC), a private overseas inspector for the Chinese government, wrote Environment Secretary Ramon Paje to examine the circumstances surrounding a shipment that arrived on May 20 at the Lianyungang Port in China. The shipment was declared as containing 55,000 metric tons of iron ore, but actually contained “slag" and “other metal wastes," said CCIC Philippines Inc. General Manager Yong Hai Wang. Slag is a by-product of mining operations. Under Chinese law "as provided for in the No. 3 items of the Catalogue of Commodities Forbidden to Import, slag or other wastes coming from furnace metal and other iron residue are banned from entering China." "In order to prevent unnecessary incident, we respectfully ask for your department's assistance in investigating its origin and processing techniques of the above-mentioned cargo. Your kind assistance shall help discharging port CIQ Lianyungang to determine the nature of the said cargo so that they can immediately undertake corrective actions," CCIC said in the letter. The CCIC said that m/v ELENI D, which contained the shipment, was loaded by Pacific Nickel Phils., which has an ongoing nickel project in Talisay, Nonoc, Surigao City. BC/VS, GMA News