Chinese nationals warned to avoid high-risk areas after infrastructure becomes a primary target for rebels seeking to halt military junta
The 1,980km (1,230-mile) pipeline to transport oil from landlocked Niger’s Agadem oilfields to Seme, an Atlantic port in Benin and operated by China’s CNPC, has become a major target for rebels seeking to choke off the military junta’s key revenue source.
While ambassador Lu Guijun pledged Beijing’s utmost support to safeguard “overseas compatriots”, the escalating violence is severely testing China’s traditional policy of non-interference in the face of mounting strategic and financial risks.
China finds itself in the dilemma of either changing its non-interference diplomatic policy to safeguard its massive energy investments or risking a withdrawal from a costly project after years of investment.
