Two dead in anti-Chinese riots in Madagascar

Two people have died as the result of riots at a Chinese-run sugar refinery in western Madagascar. It is not yet clear whether or not the deceased were among the Chinese management.

According to AFP, the riots were sparked by a dispute over wages and contracts and are part of a series of uprisings that have previously included "acts of vandalism and physical attacks on the Chinese."

Refinery workers armed themselves with knives and "at least one shotgun," and assaulted the plant sometime Thursday. They were ultimately dispelled by local security forces, but not before two unidentified people were killed.

Part of the refinery was also destroyed in the violence. China has played an important but often-criticized role in Africa over the past several years, and this is far from the first time that labor disputes between local workers and Chinese businessmen have escalated.

There was also that one time when Chinese scientists tested an unproved drug on the entire population of an island nation off the Madagascar coast. In other words, it may be time for a slight upgrade in PR.