Gao Jianbo (left), a manager of a Chinese security company in Johannesburg, South Africa, inspects his local employees. Photo: CFP

After hearing that their son was about to return to conflict-ridden Iraq in May, the parents of Zhang Yu (pseudonym), took away his passport and arranged several blind dates for him.

Zhang, born in the 1990s, sports a crew cut and has a muscular chest fitting for his occupation. He went to Iraq twice last year as a security guard for Chinese companies.

"I'm afraid that I wont' be able to go this year," Zhang said while sitting in a fitness club in his hometown of Tianshui in Gansu Province. He planned to go to Iraq or Angola.

Three Chinese businessmen were robbed and killed in turbulent Angola in December 2014. Chinese merchants there said that robberies are a daily occurrence.

But for Zhang, high risks mean higher pay; he could earn tens of thousands of yuan more a year working in Angola than in Iraq. The African country, rich in petroleum and diamonds, has attracted investment from 62 Chinese companies.

"Overseas experience makes you more popular," Zhang said.

But private Chinese security companies struggle against foreign competition overseas, due to regulations that ban deadly weapons and insufficient government support.

Protecting lives

The primary task for security guards like Zhang is to safeguard the lives of Chinese employees.

One day in October, 2014, when a project where Zhang worked in Iraq was nearly complete, about 70 local villagers carrying guns crawled through the broken fence and approached the camp where Zhang and several Chinese employees were staying. Suddenly Zhang found himself facing three loaded guns.

Four defense lines containing a steel fence, a ditch filled with water and two walls guarded the camp, and dozens of surveillance cameras were installed outside the fence. But since the project was wrapping up, the cameras had been removed and the ditch drained.

Zhang stepped aside. Villagers rushed into the camp and removed air conditioners and other valuables before they left.

Most of the security guards interviewed by the Southern Weekly have encountered such attacks. They typically let the assailants take their money and valuables.

Most Chinese security companies running overseas service centers employ Chinese ex-soldiers.

Zhang served in an anti-terrorism unit in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region before demobilized.

Zhai Leiming, deputy director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in April that the government is shorthanded in providing consular protection.

"Each employee of us is responsible for protecting 200,000 citizens. No nation in the world has ever dealt with such huge task," Zhai said. 

"The space in the market should be filled by private security companies," said Han Fangming, deputy director of Foreign Affairs Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee.

Chinese security companies exploring the overseas market typically have around 100 employees in total, and some companies have set up overseas branches, according to a Chinese security company, VSS Security Group.

Zhe Meijie, the group's president, said that there are very few security companies that are able to provide the security consultation and management services that overseas Chinese enterprises need.

Lightly armed 

Some overseas Chinese enterprises prefer western security companies even though their prices could be double that of Chinese companies.

The reason is simple: western security guards have powerful weapons, while Chinese security guards are not allowed to be armed.

Some countries ban foreign security guards from using weapons, while in countries like Iraq, private security companies can apply for certificates allowing their employees to bear arms.

But Chinese law prohibits citizens from leaving the country with weapons.

Zhang Dongfang, who worked as a guard on an oil project in Iraq for four years, said that he could only report an attack to local police if he spotted a potential threat. 

"When will you guys get weapons?" security consultant Chen Jun (pseudonym) said that he was asked many times by Chinese employees.

"China should broaden the role of security companies operating overseas and allow security guards to carry defensive weapons in war zones," Han said.

Kou Liyan, deputy research fellow with the China Center for Contemporary World Studies, said that legal systems are immature in most of the countries that attracted lots of Chinese investment, and many issues have to be dealt with via non-institutional channel. Sometimes, the biggest issue for Chinese security guards are protests from local residents.

"There is very little difference between weapons and no weapons [in those circumstances]," Kou said.

Solving kidnappings and other conflicts typically requires communication by diplomatic officials rather than weapons, said Kou.

Amateur guards

Professional Chinese security companies operating overseas are a relatively new phenomenon. Chinese companies seeking overseas investment used to hire ex-soldiers and send them abroad to work as security guards, according to Kou.

Problems such as high staff turnover, poor English and visa difficulties have plagued Chinese security companies.

Security guards rely on word of mouth to find work. Zhang Dongfang has set up several online chat groups contain some 1,000 security guards each, and works as a middle man between security companies and job hunters.

Qi Luyan, president of Huawei International Security Management, said that China has many small security companies.

"Only a small number of people go overseas to explore the vast market, and there is no fierce competition or cooperation among different Chinese security companies," Qi said. He also called on the government to financially support the industry.

Han said that China should make things more convenient for security companies applying for visas, opening shooting ranges for them to train their employees and encouraging cooperation between the Chinese military and security companies.