Safety worries mount for Chinese traveling abroad

A worker is flown home to China for treatment after being injured in an explosion in the Republic of the Congo. The man was one of 31 Chinese workers injured the accident. Wang Minjie / Xinhua

Recent incidents a cause for concern

A series of incidents involving Chinese citizens overseas has shocked the country and prompted public concern about the safety of Chinese people when traveling abroad.

Six students from the nation were attacked at a house in Hostens, southwestern France, on the night of June 15 by three local men who had been drinking. One of the students was hit in the face with a bottle, leaving her with injuries that required hospital treatment.

Two Chinese nationals and a Chinese-American were among nine foreign climbers killed by gunmen at a base camp near Nanga Parbat, one of the world's highest mountains, in Pakistan's northern territory of Gilgit on June 23.

Two days later, four Chinese were murdered in a knife attack at a bakery in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. The victims, three men and a woman, were hacked and stabbed repeatedly by masked assailants. One of the victims is believed to have been decapitated and the others dismembered.

Given the circumstances - the attack in Gilgit was the first of its kind in the region, while Port Moresby has a justified reputation as a dangerous place - it's open to debate whether ethnicity played a role in the incidents or if the victims were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, the wave of attacks has led to a growing perception that Chinese nationals aren't safe overseas.

The continuing rise in living standards means millions of Chinese travel overseas every year, for business, investment, work, tourism and study. Others leave for good via emigration programs. At the same time, the number of violent incidents involving Chinese nationals overseas has also increased.

A narrow escape

Teng Fei, a project manager at a large IT enterprise, has just finished a six-and-a-half year stint working in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said the experience of living and working in those two volatile countries has sharpened his appreciation of "safety".

"People who live in peaceful places simply don't have a sense of war, but during my stay in Afghanistan, I was constantly aware that the conflict was so close," said the 33-year-old, who now works in the Netherlands.

Teng recalled being just a block away from the scene of a violent attack. Three masked insurgents attacked a polling station during a presidential election and exchanged gunfire with US soldiers. "We could hear the gunshots clearly. Cold sweat ran from my forehead. I was terrified," he said.

In addition to the daily threat to life and limb, Teng and his colleagues often fell victim to fraud and robbery.

"Colleagues often said they had been cheated by bogus policeman. They stop you in the street and ask to check your passport as an opportunity to grab your wallet," he said.