China urges Pakistan to ensure safety of Chinese personnel

BEIJING, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- China has urged Pakistan to make more targeted measures to provide full protection for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in the country, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

The spokesperson made the remarks in response to the terrorist attack at Sindh Province, Pakistan, that killed and injured Chinese personnel.

At around 11 p.m. local time on Sunday, a convoy of a Chinese project was attacked near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. The incident resulted in deaths and injuries of both Chinese and Pakistanis, among whom two Chinese were killed and one injured.

China is deeply shocked by the attack against Chinese citizens and strongly condemns this terrorist act, said the spokesperson. "We deeply mourn the victims and our thoughts are with their families."

The spokesperson said the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan activated the emergency response mechanism right away and quickly started handling the incident. 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.

China also demanded efforts to effectively close the security loopholes, and more targeted measures to provide full protection for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, said the spokesperson, adding that the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan has issued another alert to remind Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects in the country to keep a close eye on the local security situation, strengthen security measures and take precaution for safety.

"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," said the spokesperson. "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."