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The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Yamin, has urged the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Sun Boahong, to advise Chinese nationals involved in illegal mining to desist from the act and rather invest in legitimate business initiatives. He said the Chinese were known in the Ashanti Region to be involved in illegal mining and the sale of inferior goods, something which, he said, was tarnishing the image of that country and its people notwithstanding the fact that some of them were engaged in genuine business activities in the country. He said besides destroying the landscape and causing massive environmental degradation, illegal mining also damaged food and cash crops. He also said there were lots of investment opportunities in cocoa, maize and cassava production. He said cassava, in particular, was in high demand by breweries and wood processing factories. Mr Yamin made the appeal when Mrs Sun Boahong, who was on a working visit to the region, paid a courtesy call on him in his office in Kumasi last Tuesday. The ambassador, for her part, explained that China did not support any of its citizens involved in illegal business in Ghana. She, however, observed that the issue of galamsey was a complicated one which needed the concerted action of both countries to stem. �We wish that in the future, with the joint efforts of both sides, the illegal mining issue will be solved in a very thorough manner,� she said. Mrs Sun Boahong had earlier called on the Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Kojo Bonsu in his office where the two held bilateral talks. Mr Bonsu hailed the good relationship that existed between the two countries and said following from this, he was desirous of establishing a sister-city relationship between a city in China and Kumasi. He said he believed that such a sister-city relationship would help Kumasi gain some skillful technological knowledge from the Chinese as a means to further develop the city. According to him, there was a large Chinese presence in Kumasi and as such, the establishment of a sister-city relationship would also go a long way to benefit the Chinese community in the city and would also strengthen the bonds of friendship between the peoples of the two countries. In addition, he said many Ghanaians,especially from Kumasi travelled to China for business, making it imperative that a relationship between cities was fostered to deepen trade ties between the two countries. Mr Bonsu invited the Chinese to explore investment opportunities in Kumasi, especially in the areas of tourism, commerce and hospitality. The Chinese ambassador was in the region to inspect Chinese projects and investments. She used the opportunity also to visit some traditional areas and universities as a means of strengthening collaboration between the institutions and the Chinese government.