( CNN ) -- A Zambian judge has granted bail to two Chinese men charged with attempted murder in a mine shooting that has revived an outcry against foreign employers in the southern African nation . Chinese managers at a mine in the southern part of the nation used shotguns to fire at a gathering of workers last month . The miners , who were protesting poor labor conditions , were unarmed , according to Zambian government officials . At least 11 miners were wounded . `` Where did the Chinese get the right to shoot innocent Zambians , including my son , '' asked Leonard Kapwizi . Kapwizi 's question reverberates with other Zambians , some of whom say foreign employers are increasingly above the law . Kapwizi 's son , Vincent Chenjele , was hospitalized . Three Chinese employees were also injured and mine equipment damaged , according to Chinese state media . The two suspects -- detained for more than two weeks -- appeared before a judge Tuesday on 13 counts of attempted murder . They were ordered to surrender their passports . The shooting at Collum is the latest in a string of attacks between Zambian workers and Chinese managers at the coal mine . In June , Zambian state media reported that a Chinese national `` escaped lynching by an angry mob '' after 22 miners were seriously injured in a gas explosion . In late 2009 , Collum mine workers `` threw missiles '' at Chinese managers after receiving `` slave wages , '' according to Zambian state media . Zambian officials have worked to quell the anti-Chinese outbursts that have followed such incidents . `` Let us be careful that we do n't single out [ Chinese ] people , '' President Rupiah Banda said after the recent shootings . `` Every day people are shot by Zambians ; are shot by white people ; are shot by the Americans ; they are shot by everybody . You know this business of Chinese ! Chinese ! It 's like you want to create a phobia against people . '' Politicians find themselves locked in a delicate dance : fostering a business climate that boosts Chinese investment while ensuring their constituencies do n't feel shunned . China is Zambia 's largest source of foreign investment . It has a huge influence on the nation 's economy , especially in the mining industry . In 2008 , more than 55 percent of all foreign money invested in Zambia came from China , according to the Zambia Development Agency . Out of every overseas dollar that poured into Zambian mining , nearly 73 cents were from China . Zambian government officials are quick to point out that this investment has created jobs and other benefits for locals . `` Zambia cherishes the Chinese investment , '' says Elijah Muchima , deputy minister of Southern province , where Collum is located . The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it hopes the mining company will resolve the problem with its host country , according to Xinhua news agency . The Chinese government has always urged its companies to comply with the laws of host countries , said Ma Zhaoxu , a spokesman for the ministry . Ma said China values safeguarding local employees ' rights . But some worry that China 's economic influence often translates into getting preferential treatment that puts it above the law in Zambia . In the latest case , Muchima implied that the defendants would be handled , at least in part , by the Chinese Foreign Ministry . `` There is nobody above the law . But you have got systems in place ... we have signed agreements ; bilateral agreements between this government and their government . If there is an issue , it has to go through the normal ways ; through the Minister of Foreign Affairs . I can not comment on their dealings . That would be against the protocol that has been signed . '' Former presidential candidate Michael Sata is a major critic of Chinese employers in the nation . During his failed 2006 campaign , he said Zambia needed `` investors , not infesters , '' according to local media . In the aftermath of the Collum shooting , the Zambian Post quoted Sata as saying , `` We know we ca n't be protected by this government because it has been heavily corrupted by the Chinese . '' Padraig Carmody , a lecturer at Dublin 's Trinity College , said corruption was evident while he was doing field work in Zambia last year . `` We talked to trade union officials , and what they said was that the labor inspectors , when they come and look at the labor conditions , and enforcement of the minimum wage and things like that , they tend to favor the Chinese mining houses and other investors over workers ' rights . '' Chinese employers in the country bypass the laws , added Jan Kees van Donge , a researcher at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands . `` They do n't act like they are subject to Zambian law , and put themselves , therefore , above Zambian sovereignty . They are undermining Zambian sovereignty , '' Donge said . However , Muchima reiterated that the nation can handle affairs within its jurisdiction . Journalist Chibaula D. Silwamba contributed to this report .
Two Chinese men are facing attempted murder charges in the shooting of mine workers . The unarmed miners were protesting poor labor conditions . The shooting is the latest in a string of attacks between Zambian workers and Chinese managers . 'Where did the Chinese get the right to shoot innocent Zambians , ' victim 's father asks .