Chinese fleeing Libya

China’s outreach into the developing world, sending tens of thousands of its own citizens to extract resources and build infrastructure, is hitting home among the madness and mayhem ongoing in Libya. A reported 33,000 Chinese citizens are working in that country, state-run media says, and the government is engaged in an all-out effort to evacuate them.

Perhaps because of its deeply rooted financial interests in Libya, namely oil, China has been largely silent on the ongoing crisis, with media reporting some looting of Chinese encampments in the country. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhouxu said in a news conference he hopes the African country “can restore social stability and political order as soon as possible.”