More than 10 Chinese injured in clash with Algerians

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By Hou Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-05 18:29

More than 10 Chinese were injured during a recent clash between Chinese businessmen and local people in Algiers, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

The official, whose surname is Liu, said he did not know whether any of the Chinese were seriously injured. Liu did not say whether the ministry will initiate an emergency response mechanism. At the worst scenario, the mechanism could trigger off the evacuation of Chinese citizens from Algeria.

The violence began after an argument between a Chinese youth and a local Algerian in the Bab Ezzouar district of Algiers escalated into a clash between Chinese businessmen and local Algerians in which five Chinese-owned cars were damaged and five Chinese stores were looted.

Witness told the Beijing News, a newspaper in China's capital, that hundreds of local people, mostly unemployed youth and children, beat Chinese with stones and looted Chinese stores and warehouses.

"We are very afraid of [the clash and looting] and called the Chinese embassy. The ambassador and local police arrived at the scene later and violence has quieted down," said the witness.

The Chinese embassy in Algeria called Monday's clash "an isolated security issue" saying the Chinese side trusts the Algerian police will deal with the incident effectively, according to a report from Xinhua News Agency Wednesday.

The reason for the violence is still unclear. According to Reuters, a Chinese motorist insulted an Algerian shop owner after his request to park his car was refused, prompting the Algerian to punch him. This incident may have triggered the later and larger clash between Chinese and Algerians.

There are also media reports that accuse Chinese in Algeria of not respecting local customs. Some play cards and drink beers outdoors in the evening and wear shorts - all of which are regarded by some as very improper in Algeria. These cultural differences may have also played a role.

Reuters said 7 out of 10 adults under 30 in Algeria are unemployed so some local people often resent the presence of the over 30,000 Chinese who live and work in Algeria as businessmen and factory laborers.

Experts do not believe the violence will have much impact on Sino- Algerian relations very much.

"This incident will not affect the sound relationship between Algeria and China," said Dong Manyuan, director of Department of Global Strategy from China Institute of International Studies.

"With China's growing economic cooperation with developing countries, occurrences of this kind can not be prevented completely, [but] we [can] only understand each other better through constant communication," Dong told China Daily Website.

He also said Chinese merchants and companies should do business according to law and respect the local ethnic and religious customs.

"Overseas Chinese should display the greatness of our civilization to foreigners and [the Chinese] government has the responsibility to tell them how to behave properly in accordance with local customs," he added.