(Yicai) Nov. 20 -- The Chinese Embassy in Colombia is urging local government agencies to adopt practical and effective measures to ensure the safety of Zijin Mining Group's gold mine in the South American country, the embassy exclusively told Yicai.

Since the Buriticá gold mine was bombed in an attack last May that killed two people and injured 14, the embassy has been in close communication with government bodies, including the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the military, and the police, it stated in response to Yicai's inquiry about the repeated attacks on one of Colombia’s largest gold mines. It has also advised project operator Continental Gold to increase investments to safeguard the project and its personnel while maintaining operations.

Sustained enhancements in physical, personnel, and technological security measures have made the mine’s safety risks relatively manageable, though challenges persist, per the embassy. It emphasized its commitment to monitoring the safety situation closely and continuing collaboration with the Colombian authorities.

Fujian province-based Zijin Mining acquired the Buriticá gold mine from Continental Gold in March 2020. As part of the acquisition, Continental Gold signed a security agreement with Colombian authorities on Zijin Mining’s behalf. However, the mine has faced attacks both last year and in 2022.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 13 that about 3.2 tons of gold worth hundreds of millions of US dollars had been stolen from the Buriticá mine by a drug-trafficking gang that has taken over 30 miles of tunnels.

The following day, Zijin Mining disclosed to Yicai that illegal mining operations had been ongoing at the Buriticá site before China’s largest gold producer acquired it in 2020, adding that the financial impact on earnings has been minimal.

In July, Zijin Mining filed an arbitration application with the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, alleging that the Colombian government failed to fulfill its commitments to protect the mine.

Editors: Liao Shumin, Emmi Laine