An altercation leads to a furious brawl with knives and rods. The incident is a sign of the difficulties the two groups have in living side by side. The Chinese are active in the country but often take away jobs from locals.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – About 100 Algerians and Chinese workers got into a fight in the capital Algiers yesterday using knives and rods. The violent confrontation is symptomatic of a deep resentment many Algerians feel towards the country’s large Chinese community.

Chinese began arriving in the North African country years ago to work on oil and public works awarded to Chinese companies. Many have stayed on after the projects were completed, concentrating in Algiers’ eastern district of Bab Ezzouar where a virtual Chinatown has emerged.

The recent flare-up, which left ten Chinese injured, began when an Algerian shopkeeper, Abdelkrim Salouda, told a Chinese motorist not to park in front of his store. According to the Algerian, the Chinese man insulted him and he retaliated by punching him. Some 30 minutes later the Chinese man came back with at least 50 Chinese to take revenge. Eventually some 60 Algerian residents joined the fight.

For experts on the issue, the incident is due to rivalries between the two groups. The Chinese are quite active in the country, will accept lower pay and are often better qualified than the Algerians. Many projects would grind to a halt without Chinese labour, this in a country where seven out of ten adults under the age of 30 are unemployed

Official estimates put the number of Chinese in Algeria at 35,000, but many locals believe the real figure is much higher, with most immigrants living in the main cities where they have set up their own small neighbourhoods.

After the clash many locals agree with a local shop owner who, speaking about the Chinese, said: “They drink alcohol and do not respect our religion. They must leave.”

Ling Jun, a diplomat at the Chinese embassy, tried to downplay the incident. He said he trusted Algerian police to shed light on what happened, adding that the fight would not affect cooperation and the old friendship between the two countries.

China has a great economic and political stake in Algeria where Chinese firms have been awarded contracts worth billions of dollars in sectors ranging from housing construction, public works and hydro-electricity projects to mining and transport, and often employ Chinese engineers, managers and even labourers.

For instance, Chinese state-owned energy giants Sinopec and CNPC have won oil exploration contracts in Algeria. But many Chinese have also set up small retail businesses.

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