China withdraws workers from Syria, seeks compensation for Libya

China will withdraw its workers from escalating violence in Syria to avoid a repeat of the last-minute rescue of Chinese nationals in Libya last year, Reuters reported. About 100 Chinese workers will remain to guard work camps and equipment, commerce minister Chen Deming said. “The Chinese government and ministries must seriously undertake the protection of Chinese firms’ production and projects overseas, and the protection of the lives of Chinese citizens overseas, especially engineering teams.” A Chinese envoy was sent to Damascus this week while closed door meetings were held at the UN to discuss a US-drafted resolution aimed at ending the Syrian government’s violent crackdown. However, the pullout of Chinese workers does not indicate a shift in China’s outlook towards the violence, says Yin Gang, expert on China’s Middle East policies. Almost 36,000 Chinese nationals were evacuated from Libya last year after China was caught off guard by the eruption of civil war.