China seeks reconstruction role in Libya

China seeks reconstruction role in Libya

China has sent a team of government officials and company executives to Libya to discuss post-war reconstruction and how to protect Chinese assets, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

February 5, 2012 12:42 by Reuters

The team, led by Wang Shenyang, head of the foreign investment and economic cooperation department of the Ministry of Commerce, will assess damage to Chinese assets in Libya and talk with Libyan officials about uncompleted projects, Xinhua said.

Representatives of Chinese companies involved in the projects, mainly construction, railways and dams, power and telecommunications, were in the team which will visit until Wednesday, it added.

Executives included those from China State Construction Engineering Corp, China Gezhouba Group Corp, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, China’s biggest telecoms equipment manufacturer, and ZTE Corp .

China, which has said its companies suffered severe economic losses as a result of the civil war in Libya, has become increasingly concerned about the safety of its personnel and property overseas after dozens of its workers were kidnapped in Sudan and Egypt. (Reporting by Sally Huang and Kevin Yao; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Photo caption: Chinese citizens who were evacuated from Libya prepare to board the plane for China at Alexandria International Airport in Alexandria, Egypt, Feb 23, 2011. Eighty-three Chinese citizens had arrived at Alexandria from Libya, and took the plane for China in two groups on Feb 23. More Chinese citizens are said to be entering Egypt to get on the plane home. [Photo/Xinhua]