In October 2008, Sudanese rebels kidnapped nine Chinese oil workers in southern Sudan, in response to what they saw as China’s indiscriminate support of the country’s government. Ten days afterward, according to news reports, four of these workers were killed during an escape attempt; another three were rescued; and one fled successfully. Almost exactly one year later, while the People’s Republic of China celebrated its sixtieth anniversary with a spectacular, made-for-television display of its military bravado, the last kidnapped worker still remains unaccounted for. Zhou Xiaohu, employing a