Opinion Citizens abroad
The killing of eight Hong Kong tourists in the Philippines last week has generated both grief and outrage.
The killing of eight Hong Kong tourists in the Philippines last week has generated both grief and outrage. The incident has also helped sharpen an ongoing policy debate within the Chinese security establishment on how Beijing should protect its citizens and assets in foreign lands.
A policeman turned gunman hijacked a tour bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists last week in Manila. The incident ended with eight tourists dead and seven injured. The hostage taker was killed in a police assault. A stern Beijing told Manila to thoroughly investigate the tragic incident and take steps to protect Chinese tourists visiting the Philippines. It also sent a team of officials to Manila to help with the inquiry.
As the number of Chinese citizens travelling abroad rises rapidly after three decades of double-digit economic growth,there is growing pressure on Beijing to protect its people abroad.
In 1978,when Chinese economic reforms began,the number of Chinese travellers stood at around 250,000. Today the figure stands at 50 million.
Beijing has set up a Consular Assistance and Protection Centre in the ministry of foreign affairs to issue early warnings to Chinese travellers and manage crises such as the one seen in Manila. The division is said to be the largest in the Chinese foreign office,with a strength of 140 in Beijing and 600 operatives in missions abroad.
The Chinese government and business are also debating more complicated measures to deal with the protection of workers abroad. According to one estimate,the number of Chinese citizens working overseas is more than five million. Many of these workers are in countries that are rocked by civil wars and violence.
As foreign investment and project execution in distant lands becomes an important part of Chinas external engagement,a number of new measures have been put in place. Chinese businesses,particularly those operating in restive regions abroad,are expected to follow government guidelines on self-protection and effective safety precautions.
Beyond these immediate steps,there is a new debate in Beijing on how to cope with the broader challenge of protecting Chinese interests abroad. The pirate attacks on Chinese ships and crews in the Gulf of Aden saw China embark upon its first naval operation far from national shores.
The Chinese debate is also looking at the merits and demerits of deploying Chinese police and military forces abroad to protect its people and assets,freeing hostages by use of force,evacuating non-combatants from conflict zones,hiring foreign security firms,the importance of power projection,and the risks of military intervention in foreign lands.
In a review of the Chinese debate on the use of force abroad to protect its citizens,Andrew Erickson,an American analyst at the Naval War College in Newport,Rhode Island says that despite many uncertainties,the chances of Beijing using force to protect citizens overseas are rising.
Erickson adds that Beijings acute sensitivity regarding sovereignty issues makes it highly unlikely to intervene on another nations soil without explicit permission. In the event of a crisis,China is likely to supply intelligence,and its security personnel might work with their local counterparts,with an emphasis on isolating and evacuating Chinese nationals.
But it is at sea that we are already witnessing the most dramatic developments. Chinas ongoing anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden is arguably the first step in overseas military deployments to protect PRC citizens working overseas, Erickson concludes.
A port at Colombo
After their successful completion of the first phase of Sri Lankas Hambantota port,Chinese companies have won new contracts for expanding capacity of the Colombo port. On Monday,the Sri Lankan cabinet cleared a $ 450 million concession to build and operate a new container terminal at the Colombo port to a Lanka-China consortium led by the Aitken Spence and China Merchants Holdings. China Harbour Engineering,the company that built the Hambantota port,will also construct the new terminal at Colombo. Work is expected to start in six months.
South Pacific plans
As part of its effort to raise its profile in the South Pacific,Beijing now sends regular naval missions to the littoral. A small naval contingent is now on four month tour visiting Australia,New Zealand,Vanuatu,Tonga and Papua New Guinea. While PLAN ships have called at ports in Australia and New Zealand,this is the first time they are visiting the three smaller island nations.
raja.mohan@expressindia.com
Share
