As China’s presence in Africa grows, Chinese employees and companies are subject to violence, kidnappings and protests. Earlier this year, Chinese workers at a Chinese gold mine in Yaloke, Central African Republic, were kidnapped by armed groups backed by a US military company.

Chinese nationals are victims of kidnapping and violence in other countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Libya. Four people, including two Chinese citizens, a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a Ghanaian citizen, were killed when a gold caravan belonging to the Chinese TSM Mining Company was robbed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The incident took place in the province of Sud-Kivu, in the north of the country.

As a result of repeated attacks on its convoys and bases, TSM Mining announced in October 2023 that it would cease its activities in the DRC.
According to media reports, Chinese workers at mining companies are often kidnapped in the DRC by armed groups backed by Western powers, most notably the United States and France.

In Nigeria, on March 7, 2024, a Chinese engineer was kidnapped and his bodyguard killed. The bodyguard was a member of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the kidnapping comes after an increasing number of kidnappings of Chinese workers in Nigeria.
Security experts pointed out two important aspects:

• Kidnappings of Chinese workers in the Central African Republic, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are carried out by local armed groups known to receive financial and training support from the US through NGOs and private military companies.
• The kidnappings of Chinese workers in most mining areas coincide with America’s insistence on entering its companies and acquiring Chinese-owned mines in this region. In some cases, America has succeeded in stopping the activities of Chinese companies because of the insecurity and the rate of violence and kidnappings to which they are subjected.

Kidnappings and violence are not the only means being used to put pressure on Chinese companies. In 2019, USAID announced the launch of a new mining audit project in the DRC, specifically in North and South Kivu provinces, which will investigate and verify human rights violations in the mines.

Immediately afterward, mass protests erupted by locals in the province demanding the departure of the Chinese companies. The US non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are considered to be the main arm of the US agenda in African countries.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation also announced that it will increase funding for mining projects in the DRC to $1.4 billion. At a time when Chinese companies are under great pressure due to insecurity.

The same picture prevails in other countries such as South Africa, Ivory Coast, Mali, and other countries, where America is trying to weaken China’s presence in Africa and seize its mining mines

The West has dominated many African countries by force of arms over the past century. China is focused on its economic investment in Africa and is interfering in the politics of African governments. As attacks on workers increase, their countries sign protocols to protect them, but China needs more than protocols, such as military supplies and police presence on the ground.

The important question remains whether China will succeed in stopping US aggression against its citizens in Africa, or whether the US-backed armed attacks will continue.