BEIJING -- An investigation into alleged bribery in Namibia involving Chinese security equipment provider Nuctech Co. is ongoing and China is assisting Namibian authorities on the case, Vice Commerce Minister Chen Jian said Monday.

"The investigation is underway and we don't have a conclusion yet," Chen said, when asked by a reporter to comment on the matter during a news briefing.

On the sidelines of the briefing, Chen said China is working with Namibian authorities on the matter, but he didn't offer details about the case.

According to media reports, Namibian authorities are investigating potential graft involving Nuctech and a government supply contract in Namibia.

The case is sensitive because the Communist Party secretary of Nuctech's parent company, Tsinghua Holdings Co., is Hu Haifeng, son of China President Hu Jintao.

Chen was briefing reporters in Beijing about China Premier Wen Jiabao's planned trip to Egypt later this week, during which he will participate in the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held Nov. 8-9. The forum is a high-level bilateral conference which will set a roadmap for China-Africa relations for the next three years.

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