China calls for ‘resolute’ action from Pakistan against terror attacks on Chinese nationals

 

• Chinese foreign minister urges Pakistani counterpart to ensure thorough probe into deadly Karachi attack claimed by Baloch insurgents.
• Analyst tells of frustration on the Chinese side that Pakistan seems unable to bring such attacks under control.
• China has called on Pakistan to help take “resolute and effective measures” immediately against attacks targeting Chinese nationals on its soil. The call from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi came during a virtual meeting with Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, just weeks after a deadly suicide bombing outside a Confucius Institute in Karachi.Security for Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan needed to be tightened and security loopholes plugged to avoid similar attacks in the future, Wang told Bhutto Zardari, according to a Chinese read-out of the meeting.

Wednesday’s meeting was the first between the foreign ministers after three Confucius Institute staff members and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide attack on their van at the University of Karachi on April 26.

Persistent terror attacks have troubled Pakistani projects carried out under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, including Gwadar port in the poor but resource-rich Balochistan province.The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist insurgent group from the province, claims the projects exploit the province’s minerals and extend China’s influence in the region.The BLA also took responsibility for last month’s Karachi bombing. The group said it attacked the van to make clear that a “direct or indirect Chinese presence in Balochistan is not tolerated”.

At the meeting with Bhutto Zardari, Wang reiterated China’s call for a thorough probe into the attack. “It is imperative to speed up the investigation, find the culprits and punish them severely, as soon as possible,” he said. The Pakistani minister vowed to work with China to combat terrorism in his country. “Condemning the terrorist attack in Karachi University in which three Chinese teachers lost their lives, the foreign minister underlined Pakistan’s firm resolve to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” a Pakistani foreign ministry statement said.

China has invested heavily in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a series of road, rail and energy projects worth US$60 billion that form the main plank of its belt and road plans in the country.

“There is frustration on the Chinese side that Pakistan seems unable to bring [the attacks] under control,” said Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.“You can see that in the escalating rhetoric around each incident that we see emanate from the Chinese government.”

In 2018, the BLA’s armed attackers stormed the Chinese consulate in Karachi and killed four people, none of them Chinese. Afterwards the foreign ministry asked Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals there.In August last year, the BLA claimed it had carried out a suicide bombing that targeted Chinese people in Gwadar, killing two children and injuring a Chinese national, prompting a request from China’s embassy for Pakistan to “speed up the upgrading of security policies” to prevent another attack.Pantucci said the attack against the Confucius Institute staff members showed the BLA was no longer just targeting Chinese nationals involved with CPEC projects, which are protected by around 15,000 Pakistani troops.

China could share intelligence and provide equipment to help protect Chinese nationals in Pakistan, he said, adding that China’s attempt to stabilise Balochistan by investing in the province had not been effective.Wang Dehua, a Shanghai-based analyst on South Asia, said China could also send security advisers to improve vigilance, but would not need to send troops, because Islamabad was still determined to tackle the issue. He said he had experienced Pakistan’s resolve during a group visit to Gwadar port. “The Pakistani side used armoured cars to protect us when we visited the port. So, to Chinese experts, the protection was very adequate.”Pakistan’s newly anointed prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has taken a personal interest in the case, according to interior minister Rana Sanaullah who updated Pang Chunxue, China’s representative in Islamabad, about the progress of the investigation on Tuesday.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3177532/china-calls-resolute-action-pakistan-against-terror-attacks