Three senior executives of a powerful state-owned Chinese company were killed in the Friday attack on a Radisson hotel in the Mali capital of Bamako, officials said Saturday.
China Railway Construction Corp. identified the victims as Zhou Tianxiang, general manager for the corporation’s international group; Wang Xuanshang, a deputy general manager of the international group; and Chang Xuehui, general manager of the group’s West Africa division.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed Saturday that three Chinese nationals were among the dead in the attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel, and that four other Chinese citizens had been rescued.
Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned the killings of the Chinese citizens, and pledged that Beijing will strengthen cooperation with the international community in fighting terrorism.
The Chinese Embassy in Mali said all seven Chinese were traveling to Mali on business.
China has been sending engineers and construction workers to Africa to help build infrastructure and public facilities such as hospitals and stadiums, as part of Beijing’s outreach to forge closer ties with African nations
–AP
