China has strongly condemned the militant attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers near the Gwadar port in Pakistan.
Incident
A convoy escorting 23 Chinese engineers working on a project at Gwadar port was attacked near the port in Balochistan, Pakistan, on Sunday morning.
According to Chinese state media house Global Times (GT), “the convoy was ambushed by bombs and gunshots on their way from the airport to the port.”
There have been no casualties on the Chinese side.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Chinese Response
In a statement published on Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said that it “strongly condemns this terrorist act,” adding that all relevant personnel had been “properly placed in safety.”
It said that it had immediately launched an emergency response and had requested Pakistani authorities “to conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, take practical and effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.”
#BREAKING: Four Chinese nationals and 9 Pakistani military personnel killed in an attack at Gwadar of Balochistan, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claims. Gunfire and blasts heard in the area.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 13, 2023
BLA Statement 👇
In a self-sacrificing operation today in Gwadar, two Fidayeen of BLA… pic.twitter.com/9Gca8v49py
The Embassy further said that Beijing “will continue to work with” Islamabad to “jointly counter the threats of terrorism and earnestly protect the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan.”
It also advised Chinese citizens in Pakistan “to be vigilant and take preventive measures against security risks, to ensure the safety of their lives and property.”
Prior Incidents
This is not the first time Chinese citizens have been attacked by the BLA in Pakistan.
Last April, a bombing outside the University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute killed three Chinese teachers and injured another.
In July 2021, an explosion in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province caused a bus to tumble into a ravine, killing 12 people, including nine Chinese nationals.
In 2019, a luxury hotel near a China-funded project in Balochistan was attacked by gunmen, killing eight people.
Similarly, in 2018, the group attacked the Chinese Consulate-General in Karachi.
Soon after, two children of Chinese nationality were killed and three others wounded in an attack on the Gwadar port.
In 2017, ten workers were gunned down by two BLA members. The group said it aimed to express its stern opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).