The Foreign Ministry of China has warned Chinese citizens and firms working in Africa against travelling to some risky areas amid kidnappings of Chinese citizens in the continent.
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, confirmed the abduction of five Chinese nationals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, therefore the ministry urge those in dangerous places to leave as soon as possible.
Zhao said the abductions took place during an attack on a gold mine in the village of Mukera in eastern Congo, adding that in another recent incident in Nigeria, three Chinese employees were also kidnapped.
The spokesperson stressed that there were “great security risks’’ in Nigeria and Congo, and these incidents were not the first of their kind either.
China has significantly increased its investments in the mining industry in Africa in recent years.
This has led to growing local resentment towards wealthy Chinese employees working in countries such as the resource-rich Congo, where living standards are extremely low.