The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, called for decisive action against anti-China terrorist organizations following two lethal attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan within a six-month period, according to The Express Tribune.
The attacks occurred in March and October, with the latter incident happening shortly before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to Pakistan. At a seminar titled ‘China at 75’, Ambassador Jiang expressed strong disapproval of these incidents and called for improved security protocols.
“It is very unacceptable for us to be attacked twice in only six months and these attacks have also caused causalities,” Ambassador Jiang said.
The Ambassador stated that China expects Pakistan to implement stronger security measures to safeguard Chinese citizens, institutions, and projects.
Jiang emphasized that security concerns pose the primary challenge to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), stating that “without safe and sound environment, nothing can be achieved.”
The Pakistan China Institute organized the seminar, which featured speeches from both Ambassador Jiang and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, as reported by The Express Tribune.
“Pakistan should severely punish the perpetrators and crack down on all anti-China terrorist groups,” stated the ambassador, adding, “Security is the biggest concern for China and a constraint to CPEC in Pakistan.”
The Ambassador noted that “Chinese President Xi Jinping cares about Chinese people’s security and puts people’s lives first. He especially cares about the security of the Chinese people in Pakistan. Every time when he meets with Pakistani leaders, he asks for taking measures to ensure the security of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects.”
Dar responded by confirming Pakistan’s ongoing counter-terrorism efforts, indicating that updates would be provided during the upcoming meeting between President Asif Zardari and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“There are an increasing number of attacks on the Chinese nationals because the Pak-China friendship has not been digested by certain powers of the world,” Dar said.
Dar mentioned that Pakistan and China had recently agreed to enhance CPEC collaboration in areas including trade, industrialization, digital economy, agriculture, and renewable energy, despite current challenges.
Dar also criticized American efforts to prevent China’s economic ascendancy.
“China will be the biggest economy in due course despite all the tools that have
been used against it, including increasing tariffs on its products up to 200 per cent,” said Dar. “Increasing tariffs from 25 per cent to 200 per cent is nothing but politics to use unfair ways to stop China from becoming a global supereconomic power.”
