Vanuatu's Foreign Investment Board has raised concern about how investors may view a fatal attack on a Chinese trader.
Fang Xiao Wen died following an attack on him and his sister, and police have taken into custody three suspects for questioning over the incident.
However the chairman of the Foreign Investment Board, John Shing, says 90 percent of the country's retail revenue comes from Chinese, who then pay thousands to the government in taxes.
He says crime impacts negatively on foreign investments and especially tourism.
"t comes as a big blow for us because this year 2005 has been declared the year of tourism. How will tourists come to Vanuatu if we don't have law and order problems. The government is spending over hundreds of millions of vatu to promote tourism and investment in Vanuatu. We can't just sit down and expect tourists to come and spend lots of money when if we can't solve our own law and order problems and crime."
Chairman of the Foreign Investment Board, John Shing.
