Suicide Bombing in Pakistan Targeting Chinese Nationals Kills Two Local Children

What’s new: A suicide bombing targeting a motorcade carrying Chinese nationals in Pakistan’s port city of Gwadar killed two local children, and injured one Chinese national and several others on Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

Those injured have been hospitalized, according to the embassy, which “strongly condemns this act of terrorism.” The embassy has demanded that Pakistan conduct a thorough investigation into the attack and has asked the country to upgrade security measures to avoid similar incidents.

The embassy also reminds Chinese citizens in the country “to be vigilant, strengthen safety precautions, reduce unnecessary outings, and take effective security protections,” according to the statement.

The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist militant organization, has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to media reports.

The background: The blast took place at the Gwadar East Bay Expressway project, one of the 51 agreements signed by China and Pakistan in 2015 under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The project is an important highway linking the port city of Gwadar with the main artery of the national highway network. Construction began on the project in November 2017.

In an earlier incident, an explosion on a bus transporting Chinese and Pakistani workers to the site of a hydropower project in northern Pakistan killed nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis in July.

Last week, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the blast was a suicide bombing carried out by Pakistani Taliban militants backed by Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.

Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.