China does have involvement in Syria and the conflict against Islamic State. The reasons are many.

In part from WSJ: For years, China has battled a sporadically violent separatist movement, made up of Turkic-speaking mainly Muslim Uighurs, who seek to establish an independent state in the Xinjiang region in northwestern China. Beijing says the Uighur separatist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement has links with terrorist groups abroad, including Islamic State. Those skeptical of that claim say the movement is motivated more by large-scale Han Chinese migration to Xinjiang and discriminatory ethnic policies than by calls for global jihad.

Cracking down on the separatist movement “should become an important component of international counterterrorism,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this week at the Group of 20 summit in Turkey.

The killing might help China to push for better counterterror collaboration with other countries, though such cooperation comes with its own liabilities, according to Ni Lexiong, a military expert at Shanghai’s University of Political Science and Law. “If China grows too close with Europe and the U.S., then terrorists are more likely to kill the Chinese people they find. But if it doesn’t do anything, it will look weak.”

China shares intelligence and conducts counterterror exercises with neighboring countries such as Pakistan and India, and has been attempting to help mediate between the Taliban and the government in Afghanistan. Most of those agreements involve Uighurs, and Beijing has steered clear of direct support for the fight against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, citing a long-standing policy of noninterference in other countries’ internal affairs.

In part from Bloomberg:  President Xi Jinping condemned the Islamic State’s execution of a Chinese national, an act that raises pressure on China to take a greater role in resolving Syria’s civil war.
Xi issued a statement on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila on Thursday, after Islamic State claimed credit for killing Fan Jinghui, 50, and another Norwegian captive. The group published pictures of the two dead men in its English-language Dabiq magazine on Wednesday under the banner “Executed.” It was the first time the Islamic State had killed a Chinese captive.
The executions show the increasingly global impact of violence by Islamic State and its affiliates, as leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi looks to incite a clash of civilizations. Attacks that killed scores in Paris and Beirut — days after a bomb brought down a Russian jet with 224 people on board — have increased efforts for greater international cooperation to strike back against Islamic State.
While the killing might increase China’s urgency in seeking a resolution to the Syrian civil war helping Islamic State to thrive, it was unlikely to steer the country toward support for military intervention, said Li Wei, head of security and anti-terrorism research at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. “I don’t see any possibility for China to join the international coalition in air-striking the group in any near future,” Li said. “China will likely play a more active diplomatic role in participating in the Syrian peace process.”
Thursday’s statement was the first time Xi had publicly mentioned the Islamic State by name, Li said.

In part NYT‘s: Mix of Foreigners in Mali Reflects Different Business Interests

While Mali’s tourism industry has been devastated in recent years by growing unrest, the country continues to host foreigners who represent a variety of business interests.

The presence of Chinese soldiers as part of a peacekeeping effort in Mali, and the release of several Chinese nationals from the hotel hostage crisis on Friday reflect Africa’s relationship with its largest trade partner.

In Mali, the China Railway Engineering Corporation, which is thought to employ several of the freed hostages, is reported to be part of an $8 billion project to update the railway infrastructure that links Guinea and Mali.

The area near Bamako is also a draw for Chinese entrepreneurs, part of a group of more than one million people who have left China to seek out better opportunities in Africa.

Along with China, several other countries, including the United Arab Emirates and India, are looking to expand their business foothold in African countries. In Mali, initiatives include the expansion of agricultural investments, the mining of iron ore and other natural resources, and the distribution of pharmaceuticals.

Twenty Indian citizens who were evacuated from the hotel were working for a company based in Dubai and were staying at the Radisson on a long-term basis, according to CNN. In July, the Dubai-based Emirates Airline said it would begin offering direct flights between Dubai and Bamako.