China on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a convoy carrying Chinese engineers to the Gwadar Port in Pakistan, saying that any attempt to undermine the China-Pakistan friendship or the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will never succeed.
Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China has asked Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to justice and take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens.
"China will continue to work with Pakistan to jointly prevent and counter the threat of terrorism, and effectively protect the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan," Wang said.
On Sunday, a Chinese convoy of three SUVs and a van, reportedly carrying 23 Chinese citizens near the Gwadar Port in the Balochistan Province, was attacked by a roadside bomb and gunfire on its way back to the port area from Gwadar Airport.
The Chinese consul general in Karachi said in a statement on Sunday that all Chinese citizens were safe, and no one was injured in the attack.
"The Chinese side has immediately activated the emergency plan, reminding local Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects to be vigilant, upgrade security measures, prevent security risks, pay close attention to the security situation, and ensure safety," the statement said.
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan said in a statement on Sunday that it has requested the Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the attack, severely punish the perpetrators and take concrete and effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack.
The group had claimed responsibility for several attacks on Chinese enterprises and citizens, including a suicide terrorist attack last year on a van from the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi that killed four people.
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