In exchange for logging permits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Chinese logging companies allegedly gave community chiefs in the heavily forested county gifts including a motorcycle, whiskey, beer, cigarettes, a blanket and cash, according to the South China Morning Post.
Issuance of the logging permits was part of a rise in the use of "artisanal logging permits" to expand DRC's forestry sector in the face of 2002 laws aimed at constraining the industry until it can be reformed. In October, the watchdog group Global Witness issued a report that said issuances of the permits had accelerated recently. The companies in question told Global Witness that giving the chiefs gifts was just a matter of business in DRC.
The artisanal logging permits are intended for small-scale community logging; a maximum of two can be issued annually to a DRC citizen. Instead, Global Witness found that 12 permits each year were being given to overseas logging companies.
"China is growing as a market, and Europe seems to be shrinking, so China clearly drives the expansion of logging," Global Witness's Colin Robertson told the South China Morning Post.
