China faced demands on Thursday to explain why a state-backed firm claimed it had vaccinated dozens of staff against the coronavirus before sending them back to work at a mine in Papua New Guinea.

The China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) -- which controls a major nickel mine in the country -- warned local authorities that 48 staff who returned from China this month may test positive for the virus because they had received a vaccine.

In response, Papua New Guinea authorities called for "immediate clarification" from Beijing and blocked a charter flight full of Chinese workers that was due to land Thursday.

The pandemic has disrupted operations at several lucrative mines in Papua New Guinea, one of the Pacific's poorest nations.

While moving its staff into place, MMC's subsidiary firm Ramu NiCo told Papua New Guinea authorities that any positive coronavirus test results were "the normal reaction of the vaccination and not due to infection", according to a Chinese and English-language statement obtained by AFP.

The 48 members of staff at its multi-billion-dollar mine had "been vaccinated with SARS-COV-2 vaccine" before their return, it said.

China has previously indicated that it would test vaccines on military personnel and staff at state-backed companies, but it is not clear whether these tests were carried out on workers heading overseas.

"It takes around seven days to produce antibodies in the vaccine recipient's body after being vaccinated," the statement reads.

"If they need to be tested again for COVID-19, it is suggested to be conducted at least seven days after the vaccination date."

Papua New Guinea's pandemic tsar David Manning told AFP he wanted answers and had blocked the arrival of a flight with around 150 Chinese workers on board due in Port Moresby on Thursday.

"I am demanding an explanation from the Chinese ambassador as to how this has happened," he said.

"I have written to the Chinese government through the Chinese ambassador -- to explain how these 48 employees of this state company were vaccinated."

- Call for clarity -

There are growing concerns that Ramu NiCo staff may have circumvented arrival quarantine procedures, that the vaccinations may have been administered unlawfully in Papua New Guinea, or that they were tested on Papua New Guinea citizens.

Anyone arriving in Papua New Guinea must receive a coronavirus test before boarding their flight and undergo quarantine on arrival.

In a letter from Manning to the Chinese ambassador, also seen by AFP, he demanded "immediate clarification" and stated that Papua New Guinea "does not currently acknowledge a vaccine" for coronavirus and will not until national regulators and the World Health Organisation have given their approval.

He also issued a decree banning coronavirus testing, trials and unapproved vaccine treatments in Papua New Guinea.

Chinese ambassador Xue Bing told AFP: "We don't have any comments for the moment. However, one thing is for sure, China is not doing (coronavirus) tests here in PNG."

Papua New Guinea -- which has an already under-resourced health sector -- had largely dodged the worst of the virus outbreak until recent weeks.

The country saw 12 new cases on Thursday taking its total to 359, with 159 active cases amid low rates of testing. At least three people have died from the virus.

Coronavirus clusters recently forced the closure of major mines including the vast Ok Tedi copper and gold mine.

China's Ramu NiCo is no stranger to controversy and was temporarily shuttered in late 2019 after spewing slurry into the Bismarck Sea and turning parts of the surrounding coastline ochre red.

Nickel is a highly prized metal widely used in batteries, including for electric cars.

Hong Kong offers free virus test to all residents
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 21, 2020 - Hong Kong will offer a free coronavirus test to all 7.5 million residents next month, the city's leader said Friday, but it was unclear how many would take part in the scheme run by companies based in mainland China.

Initially a poster child of the pandemic, Hong Kong has seen a third wave of virus cases -- blamed on exemptions from quarantine rules for air and ship crews, and some business travellers.

Carrie Lam, the finance hub's leader, announced that voluntary mass-testing would start on September 1 and go on for two weeks.

"There is still quite a number of silent transmitters in the community," she said.

"So the more that we could test... the earlier we could find the remaining outstanding cases," she added, appealing to residents to take part.

Health minister Sophia Chan had previously told a radio show she hoped five million people would participate.

But Lam on Friday said the government has set "no targets" for the scheme that will be conducted by Hong Kong subsidiaries of three mainland firms, including Chinese genomics firm BGI Group.

Many Hong Kongers remain deeply suspicious of Beijing as it stamps down on political freedoms, including imposing a sweeping new security law on the city last month.

Biometric surveillance, including DNA, forms a core part of the authoritarian mainland's vast surveillance state.

Hong Kong opposition figures have expressed fears that virus testing by mainland officials could help Beijing harvest Hong Kongers' DNA.

The city's government had dismissed those suggestions as unfounded rumours.

More than 3,300 new COVID-19 infections have been detected in Hong Kong since July -- more than 70 percent of the total since the disease first hit the city in late January.

The death toll has risen to 75 from just seven at the beginning of July.

The number of daily cases is now dwindling after distancing measures were reimposed, but there are still several infections each day with no clear source.

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