China on Monday said that any attempt to sabotage its friendship with Pakistan or the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not succeed.
Responding to queries during a regular media briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “No attempt to sabotage the friendship between China and Pakistan and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will succeed”.
His statement comes a day after terrorists attacked a military convoy escorting Chinese workers to a port project in Gwadar. No casualties were reported among the citizens or military while two terrorists were killed in response.
“However, due to the efficient and swift response, two terrorists were sent to hell with no harm to any military or civil persons,” the army’s media wing had said in a statement, without mentioning the presence of Chinese nationals.
The Chinese consulate in Karachi had said at the time that a Chinese convoy from the Gwadar port project “was hit by roadside bombs and gunfire on its way back to the port area from the Gwadar Airport”.
The consulate had confirmed that no Chinese citizens were killed or injured in the attack. It had also asked Pakistan to “severely punish the perpetrators and take concrete and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects”.
The Majid Brigade, a wing of the banned Baloch Liberation Army, had claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the statement today, the Chinese spokesperson reiterated that “no Chinese citizens were killed or injured”. While strongly condemning the attack, Wenbin asked Pakistani authorities to “bring the perpetrators to justice and take actions to keep Chinese nationals safe”.
He added that the Chinese embassy and consulate in Pakistan “immediately activated the emergency response mechanism”, reminding Chinese nationals, companies and project construction teams in Pakistan to stay alert.
It also asked them to “upgrade security measures, closely follow the security situation on the ground, guard against security risks and keep themselves safe”, the spokesperson said.
Wenbin went on to assert: “China will continue to work with Pakistan to jointly guard against and counter the threats of terrorism and effectively protect the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan.”
When asked about China’s response to recently sworn-in Anwaarul Haq Kakar assuming the role of Pakistan’s caretaker premier, Wenbin said China congratulated Kakar on the appointment.
He added, “No matter how the international landscape and the domestic situation in Pakistan may change, the ironclad friendship between China and Pakistan will always remain rock-firm and unbreakable.”
Wenbin asserted, “China stands ready to work with Pakistan to advance our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era and bring more benefits to the two countries and two peoples.”
