A Chinese state oil company said Friday it was evacuating workers because of political violence in South Sudan that has left hundreds dead.

"We are arranging the orderly evacuation of our workers, but I can't tell the evacuation destination or how many workers are being flown out," a spokesman for China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) told AFP.

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported Friday that CNPC was making arrangements to evacuate 32 Chinese from the oil field where they work to the capital Juba.

Earlier Friday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that all Chinese in the country were safe, but added that some oil companies were temporarily shutting down their operations in light of the situation.

"Due to the current situation, some Chinese companies are organising evacuation," she said.

"South Sudan is also providing necessary assistance to the evacuation," she added.

South Sudan, the world's youngest nation and rich in oil reserves, became independent from Sudan two years ago after a civil war that killed more than two million people between 1983-2005.