 The two victims worked for Chinese medical companies looking to set up a branch in Southeast Asia. Their family said they were kidnapped shortly after landing in the Philippines, and when the families didn't pay a ransom, they were killed. The deaths may worsen tensions between China and the Philippines. The two governments have been in a diplomatic standoff over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea. Coast Guard boats from both countries now routinely ram and collide with each other there, raising fears of a military conflict.