Abductions not caused by "Chinese colonialism"

Chinese experts of international studies say the recent two cases of kidnapping of Chinese workers in Sudan and Egypt had nothing to do with the perception that China had become a neo-colonial power.

The two cases are separate, incidental events and there is no sign that overseas Chinese have become particularly targeted, said He Wenping, director of the African Studies Office at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

A camp belonging to a Chinese construction company operating in Sudan was attacked by local rebels on Jan. 28, and 29 Chinese workers were captured. The Chinese government is working and trying to rescue the hostages.

Three days later, locals in Arish of North Sudan kidnapped 25 Chinese nationals working for a cement factory based in Egypt. The workers were freed on the next day.

Some western reports have claimed that China's expanding influence in the world's less-peaceful regions have made its nationals targets of attacks.

The western media voiced that the recent abduction cases were motivated by anti-China sentiments caused by China's "neo-colonialism" practices in Africa and some other parts of the world.

However, the attackers in both cases have indicated that their activities were not out of resentment or hostility to China in particular.

"The so-called 'neo-colonialism' practiced by China is nothing more than the malicious imagination and provocation," said Gong Li, director of the International Strategic Research Institute of the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The background of the recent two cases showed no resemblance with the cases targeting on people from certain western countries, Gong said.

Some misleading reports of the western media, mingled with the misunderstanding of some local people about China's supports and investment projects have caused a handful of discontent cases, but they were not widespread, He Wenping said.

Moreover, she said China was unlikely to change its overseas investment strategy after the two incidents but will build even closer relations with the African, Asian and Latin American countries.

The experts also noted that China has been following the principle of noninterference in other countries' internal affairs, and that the commercial investments and supports it offered to the volatile areas have promoted local economic and social development.

According to a report released by China's Ministry of Commerce last year, China's outbound direct investment (ODI) surged 21.7 percent year-on-year to 68.81 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, growing for the ninth straight year and recording an average annual growth rate of 49.9 percent.

The 2010 ODI accounted for 5.2 percent of global capital flows and exceeded the figures of both Japan and the United Kingdom for the first time to become the fifth largest in the world.

Nonetheless, experts have suggested the government and investors conduct careful evaluations, including safety risk considerations, before investing and trading overseas.