No attempt to sabotage China-Pakistan cooperation will ever succeed, says Beijing

A day after five Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bisham, China on Wednesday said the tragic incident would not affect the “iron-clad friendship” of the two countries and Beijing would continue its support for Pakistan’s economic and social development.

“No attempt to sabotage China-Pakistan cooperation will ever succeed. China will continue supporting Pakistan’s socioeconomic development and efforts to make lives better for its people, and we remain firm in our commitment to working with Pakistan in various fields and delivering more benefit to the two peoples,” spokesperson of China’s foreign ministry, Lin Jian said in a press briefing.

The development comes after a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a dam project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, killing six people, police said, the third major attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan in a week.

The first two attacks hit a naval base and a strategic port in the southwest province of Balochistan where China is investing billions in infrastructure projects.

“We have noted the condemnation on the terrorist attack and condolences over Chinese victims from some countries. This is much appreciated. We reiterate that terrorism is a common enemy of humanity. It’s the shared responsibility of the global community to fight terrorism and stop such tragedies from happening again.

“China firmly supports Pakistan in fighting terrorism. We are solid in our commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects overseas,” Lin Jian said while answering a question.

He added that China had asked Pakistan to speed up the hunt for the perpetrators of the attack, punish them by law, let justice be done for the victims, and take effective steps to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel in Pakistan.

Earlier on Wednesday, PM Shehbaz called for a joint investigation by military and civilian officials into the attack on Chinese engineers, while reviewing security arrangements for its projects.

Also, President Asif Ali Zardari visited the Embassy of People’s Republic of China and offered condolences, on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, over the killing of Chinese citizens in a terrorist attack in Bisham.

He strongly condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack, saying that the Pakistani nation shared the grief of the Chinese people.