Beijing in a statement asserted that attempts to sabotage China-Pakistan cooperation will not succeed and that China will continue to support Pakistan’s socioeconomic development.

The statement from China was issued a day after a suicide bombing killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver in the Besham area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Chinese national engineers were working on the Dasu dam project.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian in a Press Conference on Wednesday, emphasizing continued cooperation.

“China firmly supports Pakistan in fighting terrorism. We are solid in our commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects overseas. China and Pakistan have the resolve and capability to make the terrorists pay the price. Our two countries are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Our iron-clad friendship is deeply rooted in the two peoples,” Lin Jian said.

“No attempt to sabotage China-Pakistan cooperation will ever succeed. China will continue supporting Pakistan’s socioeconomic development and efforts to make lives better for its people, and we remain firm in our commitment to working with Pakistan in various fields and delivering more benefit to the two peoples,” he added.

Noting that some other countries have also condemned the attack and expressed sympathy for the Chinese victims, Lin said adding, China is grateful for that.

The Chinese embassy in Pakistan demanded a thorough investigation and punishment for the people behind the attack.

China also seeks the protection of its nationals in Pakistan and urged Islamabad to make sure similar incidents are not repeated.

Pakistan vows to protect Chinese nationals, forms JIT to probe Shangla suicide attack

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level security meeting, attended by Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, heads of intelligence services and federal ministers.

Prime minister vowed to protect Chinese nationals working in the country and announced that a joint investigation team would probe the attack.

Federal Information Minister Ata Tarrar, briefing the journalists after the meeting, said that Pakistan will not allow any land to be used against it.

Tarar said a standard operation procedure (SOP) existed regarding the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. “We know how to defend our long-lasting friends,” he said.

The minister said PML-N had left a peaceful Pakistan in 2018 after suppressing terrorism that saw its peak in 2013.

But then the security situation deteriorated during four years under Imran Khan’s government, he said.

Referring to air strikes across the border in Afghanistan, information minister Tarar said Pakistan’s response to the Mir Ali terror attack earlier this month was appropriate as it had all the evidence.