The Chinese government on Wednesday dispatched officials to contact mediators in Iraq in an attempt to secure the release of eight Chinese nationals kidnapped by Iraqi militants on Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, the Chinese embassy contacted the Iraq Muslim Presbytery -- which helped in the release of seven Chinese hostages last April -- and expressed the hope that the organization would once again play a key role in obtaining the release of the eight now being held.

Chinese officials later visited the chairman of the Presbytery, Harih Al-Dhari, to urge him to help locate the hostages and to appeal to the kidnappers for their release.

A video tape from the pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV channel showed on Tuesday eight hostages holding Chinese passports being guarded by masked gunmen.

The kidnappers asked the Chinese government to make clear its position on Iraq as a condition for the hostages' release.

At a press conference on Tuesday evening, the Chinese embassy clarified China's stance on Iraq and the Iraqi people and demanded the hostages' release.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told reporters on Tuesday in Beijing that the Chinese government has always had the fundamental interests of the Iraqi people in mind while dealing with the Iraq issue.

"The Chinese people have always cherished friendly feelings towards the Iraqi people and sympathized and supported them," Kong said.

The eight kidnapped people are ordinary Chinese citizens who travelled to Iraq to seek work. After failing to find employment, they rented a car to leave Iraq but were kidnapped en route, Kong said.