DURBAN, South Africa, April 22 (UPI) -- Chinese officials say a cargo of arms destined for Zimbabwe is legal trade, but may have to return to China due to the difficulty of finding an open port.
The cargo, which had been destined for the port of Durban, was banned from being transported overland through South Africa and is now the target of transportation unions that could refuse to handle the munitions in other African ports, reports said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiang Yu told Voice of America that the shipment was considered "normal trade," but might have to be sent back to China undelivered.
A U.S. State Department official told CNN that Washington had been monitoring the vessel and supported efforts to block its arrival. It was last believed to be steaming toward Angola.
Critics say the shipment, primarily rifle ammunition, will most likely be used by Zimbabwe's strongman President Robert Mugabe to crush political opposition in the wake of a disputed presidential election.
