"With the constant expansion of Chinese businesses and employees moving out into the world, the security situation facing businesses and employees is quite serious," Chinese assistant foreign minister Kong Quan told officials, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

Commerce Minister Bo Xilai told the meeting on Monday that companies operating abroad must "respect local laws and regulations and fulfil necessary social responsibilities", and he promised a system to warn of and respond to security threats.

Nine Chinese workers and 65 locals were killed by separatist rebels in Ethiopia late last month while they were searching for oil in the harsh Somali region. Another seven of the Chinese workers were later released by the rebels and returned home. Chinese workers have also been kidnapped in Nigeria. 

Three Chinese engineers were gunned down by separatists in Pakistan in February last year.

"Some of our businesses abroad don't have a strong security awareness and internal management is weak so that security responsibility is not in place," said assistant commerce minister Chen Jian.

Minister Bo said that over the next three years 2,000 managers from key companies would be trained in security issues abroad. Assistant minister Kong said China would enforce "managerial responsibility" rules for workers sent abroad.