Achi news desk-
After a deadly attack on Chinese engineers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday that an attempt to sabotage China-Pakistan cooperation would never succeed, and that “Beijing remains firm in its commitment to work with Islamabad in various fields”.
Jian made the statement while addressing a regular press conference today after a fierce terrorist attack in Shangla district targeting a vehicle, resulting in the killing of a woman among five Chinese nationals, and a Pakistani driver on Tuesday.
China and Pakistan have the determination and ability to make the terrorists pay the price, the official said, adding: “Our two countries are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Our iron friendship is deeply rooted in both people.”
“We strongly condemn this act of terrorism. We deeply sympathize with the lives lost and extend our sincere condolences to the bereaved families. We have stated our position on this incident before,” Jian responded to the Shangla attack when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the vehicle carrying the victims.
He elaborated that the Chinese foreign ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan have activated the emergency response mechanism and are rapidly engaging in emergency response and close communication with Pakistan in Beijing and Islamabad.
“We asked Pakistan to speed up the hunt for the perpetrators, punish them according to the law, let justice be done to the victims, and take effective measures to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel in Pakistan.”
“Pakistan pledged to thoroughly investigate the incident, provide timely updates on the progress of the investigation, strengthen security measures for Chinese personnel, projects and organizations in Pakistan, and ensure the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Relevant work is progressing in an orderly manner.”
The official appreciated the response from some countries that condemned the terrorist attack and sympathized with the Chinese victims.
“We repeat that terrorism is a common enemy of humanity. It is the collective responsibility of the global community to fight terrorism and prevent such tragedies from happening again,” he added.
Echoing Beijing’s response, Jian said: “China firmly supports Pakistan in fighting terrorism. We are firm in our commitment to the safety of Chinese nationals, foreign organizations and projects.”
This is not the first time Chinese nationals have come under attack at Dasu, the site of a large dam, as 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed in an explosion in 2021.
Chinese engineers are currently working on a number of projects in Pakistan with Beijing investing over $65 billion in infrastructure works as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under Beijing’s wider Belt and Road initiative.
No one claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, and neither was the 2021 attack.
