Foreign and Military Affairs

World Cup fans warned to beware of rogues

By Qiu Bo (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-11 09:56

Beijing - China on Thursday urged South Africa to take appropriate measures to protect Chinese citizens' property and personal safety.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the remarks after several Chinese journalists in South Africa to cover the FIFA World Cup were robbed.

"We are concerned about this incident and hope South African authorities will deal with it in accordance with the law," Qin said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has warned Chinese citizens who are visiting South Africa to be security conscious and has published an emergency telephone number on its website.

"We hope the World Cup is held safely, smoothly and successfully," Qin said.

According to the report, several Chinese journalists were robbed of a camera and cash in Johannesburg.

Shen Chen, a reporter from China News Service, told China Daily that they charter vehicles even though it's expensive. "No one dares to take the bus and no one dares to walk alone outside the hotel," he said. "We only heard of two robberies that targeted foreign reporters."

"We always try to keep our belongings, like cell phones, out of sight ," Shen added.

Xinhua contributed to this story.