* Sudanese and Chadian forces say they are in pursuit
* Kidnappings commonplace in remote border area
(Adds details)
By Opheera McDoom and Moumine Ngarmbassa
KHARTOUM/N'DJAMENA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen have kidnapped a Chinese worker in Chad and joint Sudanese-Chadian forces are searching for him in the border area, Chadian and Sudanese officials said on Wednesday.
Criminals often abduct foreign workers for ransom in the remote triangle between Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic. They are usually held in Sudan's Darfur region.
"We have information that he was kidnapped in Chad," Sudanese army spokesman al-Sawarmi Khaled said. "We are waiting for the results of the search to determine exactly where he is."
Khaled did not identify which company employed the Chinese man or who had seized him, but said he was probably being held in the Tine area on the shared border.
China's official news agency Xinhua reported the Chinese ambassador to Chad said a worker from the Chinese construction company CGCOC was kidnapped last week on his way to a construction site in Iriba in northern Chad.
A Chinese diplomat in N'Djamena confirmed the kidnapping and said the army was trying to rescue him, but gave no further details.
Chadian Defence Minister Wadal Abdelkader Kamougue told Reuters Chadian forces were in pursuit of the kidnappers.
"There is no way they can leave the country given the good relations (we have) with Sudan," he said.
Joint Chadian-Sudanese border forces were created this year to stop Darfur rebels crossing the frontier in search of supplies.
In the past year, Chad and Sudan have patched up relations, ending for now a proxy war between the two oil-producing countries in which each backed opposing rebel groups in the remote border area.
At least 10 foreign workers have been kidnapped for ransom in Darfur since March 2009. All have been released safely.
The kidnappers are mostly young men from Arab tribes demanding money and promises of development for their areas from the government. (Writing by David Lewis; editing by Andrew Dobbie)
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