China today said a shipment of arms destined for Zimbabwe had been recalled after southern African countries refused to allow the weapons to be unloaded.

The Chinese ship, An Yue Jiang, first ran into trouble in South Africa where dock workers refused to unload it as a gesture of solidarity with their fellow workers in Zimbabwe.

Other countries followed the example set by South Africa and refused to let the Chinese ship dock. Zambia, which chairs the Southern African Development Community, said the weapons could deepen Zimbabwe's election crisis.

China today said the ship would return home after its fruitless mission.

"This cargo was not unloaded because the Zimbabwe side was unable to take delivery as scheduled. To my knowledge, the Chinese company has decided to recall the ship and the relevant goods bound for Zimbabwe," a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, told a news conference.

But she defended the shipment on the grounds that the contract for the weapons had been signed last year and was unconnected to the current crisis in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, which has its roots in the union movement, has accused Robert Mugabe's government of cracking down on its supporters after the disputed elections on March 29.

Jiang said: "It is pointless for some people to politicise this issue. In the field of conventional weapons, we have trade relations with some countries. These are consistent with our laws and with security council resolutions and China's international obligations. We have been very responsible and cautious with regards to weapons exports."

There is no international arms embargo against Zimbabwe, and China is one of its main trade partners and allies.

The Foreign Office minister, Lord Malloch-Brown, welcomed the recall of the Chinese arms shipment.

"I think you will see huge action by government and civil society in the region, if necessary through the UN and elsewhere, to make sure no more arms reach this illegitimate government to allow it to suppress its people," he said.

The prime minister, Gordon Brown, yesterday called for a total arms embargo on Zimbabwe as he denounced president Mugabe's efforts to "rig the elections".

Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa backed Brown's call for an arms embargo.

"In the meantime I hope that every country will agree to a moratorium on the supply of any arms to the country," he said in a statement. "If violence flares further in Zimbabwe, those supplying the weapons will be left with blood on their hands."

But Jacob Zuma, who leads South Africa's ruling party, today said it was not yet time for an arms embargo on Harare.

Speaking in London, where he met Brown, the leader of the African National Congress said: "I don't think we have reached the stage for arms embargo, I think it is going too far and I think it complicates a situation that needs to be handled with great care."

The European Union already has an arms embargo against Zimbabwe, part of sanctions in place since 2002.

The embargo bars the 27 EU states from supplying arms or equipment intended for military operations. The US has also imposed sanctions on Mugabe's government.