CAIRO - Egyptian locals have freed the 25 Chinese workers held on Tuesday in Arish, North Sinai, an official with the Chinese embassy to Cairo said early Wednesday.

The workers were in good condition, said the official who met them in Arish.

It was the second kidnapping of Chinese workers in less than a week. On Saturday, 29 workers were abducted by rebels in Sudan and efforts to secure their release are ongoing.

He Wenping, an expert on African studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said on Tuesday that an increasing number of Chinese are working in Africa.

"As Chinese projects in Africa increase, the risk of Chinese workers being kidnapped also rises," she said.

In addition, Chinese workers generally have a poor awareness of security in Africa as they tend to take it for granted that their safety can be ensured because of the traditional friendship between China and Africa, she said.