A US environmental campaign group has accused Chinese logging companies of devastating key forests in the Congo Basin, and so damaging the climate, protected tree species and the habitat of endangered animals.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) says its report is the result of four years of research, much of it undercover.
It accused the Chinese companies of paying huge bribes to win logging rights in Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon, of evading taxes and of violating export quotas.
One of the main companies concerned, SICOFOR, has denied the allegations.
The EIA says the Congo Basin forests are critical to the planet because they are thought to generate more than three-quarters of the region’s rainfall – and about 75 million people live in or depend on the forests.
Source: bbc.com