Killings in Sudan unlikely to deter China

Beijing: The execution-style killing of five Chinese oil workers in Sudan is a reminder of the costs of China's search for raw materials and its increasing need to protect its citizens as it extends its reach on the world stage, analysts said on Tuesday.

The kidnappers of nine Chinese oil workers killed five of them on Monday, according to Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali Sadiq. He said two of the workers managed to escape, while two remained in captivity.

"The incident rings the safety alarm bell for Chinese investing overseas," said Shu Yunguo, director of the Africa Research Center at Shanghai Normal University.

While Shu said the killings would not deter China from its involvement in Sudan, or affect bilateral relations, it does show the need to protect Chinese workers in dangerous parts of the world.

That has become an increasing challenge for China as it extends its search for raw materials across dangerous parts of the world, said David Zweig, director of the Center on China's Transnational Relations at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"The one thing this reflects is the unfortunate cost that China pays for engagement in the world in less than stable situations, whether it's Nigeria, in Pakistan, in (the Pakistani province of) Baluchistan, or Sudan," he said.

The Chinese Embassy "strongly condemned" the killings, Xinhua said. The embassy also asked Sudan to continue to search for two missing workers and take all necessary measures to safeguard Chinese citizens in the country, Xinhua said.

Sudan's government has blamed rebels from Darfur for kidnapping the Chinese, but on Monday a spokesman for the rebels denied involvement. It was the third attack on Chinese targets in the last 12 months.