Chinese Workers Eyed in Hostage-Taking Business

choi

Brian Spegele, Peter Wonacott and Nicholas Bariyo, China's workers Are Targeted as Its Overseas Reach Grows. Wall Street Journal, Feb 1, 2012.

Quote:

(a) "Assailants in Egypt released 25 Chinese workers kidnapped on Tuesday, even as tensions appeared to rise between China and Sudan over Chinese held by rebels there.

"Xinhua didn't further identify the {egyptian] kidnappers, though the Associated Press reported they were an al Qaeda-inspired group demanding the release of militants imprisoned after a 2005 bombings. It was uncklear which company employs the workers.

(b) "'Because Chinese tend to work in enclaves in Africa, you have by definition a concentrated group of targets,' says Harry G Broadman, chief economist at PricewaterhouseCoopers and an expert on China-Africa trade. 'So if you're in the hostage-taking business, that facilitates things.'

"Corporate China's appetite for risky investments stems from a drive to break into global markets largely unpopulated by western rivals. As a result, previous incidents in which Chinese workers were kidnapped, or killed, haven't slowed China's push to secure resources in troubled areas.

"'This will be seen--by the government anyway--as part of the learning curve and the price to be paid in "going global,"' said Deborah Brautigam, a professor at American University and an expert on China's business interests in Africa.

My comment: There is no need to read the rest.