China expresses 'deep shock' over attack on its nationals in Karachi

Beijing: China on Monday said it was "deeply shocked" by the killing of two Chinese nationals in a suicide attack in Karachi and "demanded” Pakistan to effectively close the security loopholes and take targeted measures to provide full protection for its workers engaged in the CPEC projects.

Two Chinese nationals were killed and 17 people, including one Chinese worker, injured in the suicide attack by a Baloch insurgent group late Sunday night that targeted a convoy of Chinese workers near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

"China is deeply shocked by the attack against Chinese citizens and strongly condemns this terrorist act," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Monday evening.

"We deeply mourn the victims and our thoughts are with their families," it said.

The attack is the latest in a string of violence against Chinese workers in Pakistan. It comes less than two weeks before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Heads of Government summit to be held in Islamabad.

According to the Pakistani media reports, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to attend the summit. Besides Sunday's attack, Beijing is also concerned over the agitation by supporters of the imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan.

Pakistan has deployed the army to provide security during the summit.

"The Chinese side has requested Pakistan to make every effort to rescue the injured and handle the aftermath, get to the bottom of the incident swiftly, hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

"China also demanded efforts to effectively close the security loopholes, and more targeted measures to provide full protection for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan," it said.

The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan has issued yet another alert to urgently remind Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects in Pakistan to keep a close eye on the local security situation, strengthen security measures and take every precaution to keep themselves safe.

Without directly referring to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) which claimed responsibility for the attack, the Chinese statement said terrorism is a common enemy of humanity.

"The attempts of terrorist forces to undermine China-Pakistan trust and cooperation and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will not succeed. China will continue to support Pakistan’s counterterrorism effort, and stands ready to work with Pakistan to foil any attempt to sabotage China-Pakistan relations,” the statement said.

The continued attacks by the BLA suicide bombers on the Chinese personnel working on the CPEC projects have become a major concern for Beijing, which is pressing Pakistan to increase security.

In March, five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani national were killed in a suicide attack near the China-invested Dasu hydropower project. Pakistan has enhanced security measures following that incident.

In 2021, nine Chinese engineers died in a similar attack near the Dasu project.

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting USD 60 billion CPEC projects.

The BLA accuses China and Islamabad of exploitation of the resource-rich province, a charge rejected by the authorities. It has fought a long-running insurgency for a separate homeland.

The group has carried out similar suicide bomb attacks in Karachi, targeting foreign nationals in the last two years.