China warns nationals not to travel to Iraq

China today warned its public to avoid travelling to Iraq, as diplomats tried to win the release of eight Chinese labourers abducted by Iraqi insurgents.

“Please don’t rashly go to Iraq, in order to avoid unforeseeable incidents,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The eight abducted Chinese, who the government says include two teenagers, were shown in a video released yesterday by insurgents.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had asked for help from Iraqi religious leaders who helped to win the release of other Chinese abducted last year.

The latest hostages were reported to be from the south eastern coastal province of Fujian, which sends thousands of labourers abroad each year to the Middle East and elsewhere. They disappeared last week while leaving Iraq for neighbouring Jordan.

The insurgent group said the abducted Chinese had worked at American sites in Iraq.

Last April, seven men from Fujian were abducted while visiting Iraq in search of work and were later released unharmed.