China Official Warns Companies in Algeria to Heighten Security

China’s government warned its citizens based in Algeria to heighten security, after an al- Qaeda-linked group vowed to avenge the deaths of Muslim Uighurs in rioting in Xinjiang province this month.

Photo: China Official Warns Companies in Algeria to Heighten Security

The Chinese Embassy said that following the unrest in Xinjiang, it was reminding "all Chinese companies and personnel based in Algeria to raise their risk awareness and increase their security measures."

The statement issued yesterday on the embassy’s Web site made no mention of the al-Qaeda threat to attack Chinese interests in Algeria and across northwest Africa, reports Bloomberg.

According to Reuters, the warning came after London risk consultancy Stirling Assynt said in a report to clients that al Qaeda might target Chinese workers in northwest Africa, citing "chatter" after the July 5 ethnic riots in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang.

"China has been reminding overseas Chinese to pay attention to their safety and enhance self protection ... China will take any necessary measure to protect the safety of Chinese organisations and citizens overseas," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters on Tuesday when asked to comment on the report.