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Second kidnapping of Chinese workers raises alarm - FT.com
Second kidnapping of Chinese workers raises alarm - FT.com
A group of Chinese workers have been kidnapped in Egypt in the second such case in three days.
China Central Television, the national broadcaster, on Tuesday quoted the Chinese embassy in Cairo as saying more than 20 Chinese employed by a construction company had been taken hostage by a group of locals in the Sinai region.
Already a route for human trafficking and weapons and drugs smuggling, the Sinai peninsula has sunk deeper into lawlessness since the revolution in Egypt last year that ousted Hosni Mubarak, the former president.
There is also a local vendetta against Egyptian security forces who rounded up and tortured thousands of local young men following a series of bombings by Islamic militants against tourist resorts between 2004 and 2006. The ruling military council which acceded to power after the departure of Mr Mubarak promised to release remaining detainees but so far this has not happened.
The group which kidnapped the Chinese workers are demanding the release of five people held since the first bombing in 2004. The incident in Sinai, which follows the abduction of 29 Chinese workers by rebels in south Sudan at the weekend, serves as a reminder of how China’s rapid penetration of developing markets has left growing numbers of its citizens living and working in dangerous environments.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the events in Sinai. CCTV said the Chinese embassy had taken emergency measures. The double kidnappings could create a crisis of confidence for the Chinese government.“The conflicts between the Chinese and the locals in Africa and Arabia are growing by the day,” said Liu Kang, a professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, in a blog post.
“The main internal reason is China’s expansion abroad which is focused on GDP only and the diplomacy of non-interference. The main external reason are the allegations of the western media of a new colonialism by China in Asia, Africa and Latin America.”
News of the incident in Egypt triggered an outpouring of fury on Chinese social media. “Chinese seem to look like they’re especially easy to bully,” said one blogger with the nickname Jima on Sina Weibo, China’s leading equivalent of Twitter, the microblogging service. “The Chinese government has no balls!”
Sun Tao, another Weibo user, said: “How come our compatriots are always bullied abroad? The Sudan attack hasn’t been solved yet, how come there’s trouble in Egypt again.”“Who will guarantee the safety of our expatriates?” added blogger Li Langang.
Earlier on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said it and the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission had sent a delegation to Sudan to “start rescue work”. It appealed to the relevant authorities to stay calm and ensure the Chinese hostages’ safety.“They should take a humanitarian perspective and immediately release the Chinese,” said Liu Weimin, foreign ministry spokesman.On Monday, the commerce ministry had called on Chinese companies to take stronger precautions to ensure the safety of lives and property in Sudan.
Chinese companies have rapidly expanded in emerging markets over the past decade, including countries in south Asia, Africa and the Middle East that suffer unrest or harsh living conditions. In a reflection of this fast penetration, in 2009 and 2010 Chinese loans to developing countries, which are often used to pay for infrastructure built by Chinese firms, exceeded World Bank lending.
But often the Chinese workers, engineers and managers as well as the companies employing them are newcomers to foreign markets and start life and work in an unfamiliar environment with little risk assessment and protection.
