The nation's largest gold producer, Zijin Mining Group, could have covered up toxic chemical spills in Fujian for more than a month - much longer than it has admitted, mainland media reported yesterday.
Zijin Mining has come under fierce attack on the mainland in the past few days after the company's top executives admitted they deliberately chose not to disclose the disaster until at least nine days after it happened early this month.
Even the People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece, blasted the Xiamen -based company for its handling of the leak at a copper mine, in which more than 9,000 cubic metres of acidic waste water was dumped 'accidentally' into a major river on July 3.
Zijin Mining president Luo Yingnan told the Guangdong-based Time Weekly that the public had been kept in the dark about the spill until July 12 because his company 'did not want to scare the public while the potential impact was being determined'.
Company spokesman Zhao Jugang gave further details about the decision-making process in an interview with the China Youth Daily published yesterday.
'We are certainly aware of our legal obligation to make public company information fully and in a timely manner to our shareholders.'