Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is asking China to partner Ghana to set up a gold refinery in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.

He is confident such a venture will promote legitimate mining activities in the gold-rich region and also provide jobs for the youth.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said Chinese technical expertise in the sector will also add value to the country's natural resource.

He said these when the Kumasi Mayor led the newly-posted Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Sun Baohong, to pay a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor, who was with the delegation to the Ashanti King, said Otumfuo was also optimistic a Ghana-China partnership in could also improve the country's energy situation.

Activities of Chinese illegal miners in the Ashanti Region have been a serious issue until the national security put in calculated efforts to flush them out.

Admitting that illegal mining activities were bad for both Ghana and Cbina's image, Sun Baohong, said there was need for a gradual, multi-facetted approach to solving the situation.

Although activities of Chinese illegal miners have subsided, Asantehene says legitimate Chinese mining activities can be beneficial for both the Ghana and China.