China asks Pakistan to ensure security of Chinese workers
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday to do "everything possible" to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in the country.
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Wang, who received Ishaq Dar in Beijing, added that China continues to "firmly" support Islamabad in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The diplomat said he hoped the new government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, elected in March, would bring "a new era of political unity and stability" to the country.
"At the same time, China expects Pakistan to continue to do everything in its power to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan," he said.
Wang stressed that China and Pakistan "will continue to work side by side to advance their partnership" and that the two countries should "promote the construction of a high-quality China-Pakistan Economic Corridor".
China is a major economic and political partner of Pakistan. The economic corridor – a set of infrastructure projects to connect western China to the Indian Ocean, part of China's Belt and Road initiative – is valued at over €56 billion.
However, insurgent attacks on Chinese citizens have increased in recent years, coinciding with a rise in violence in Pakistan, which Islamabad has linked to the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
The corridor was forced to suspend operations in July 2021 when a suicide bomber killed 13 people, including nine Chinese engineers.
Last April, five Chinese workers and a Pakistani were killed in another suicide attack, after which Prime Minister Sharif promised "foolproof security" for Chinese nationals during their stay in the country.
Ishaq Dar assured Wang Yi that Pakistan would do "everything possible" to guarantee the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions operating in Pakistan, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Shehbaz Sharif was elected prime minister last March after winning a large majority in the lower house of parliament, following general elections held almost a month earlier.
Institutional stability in Pakistan is crucial for this new government, which must face a serious financial crisis, with some $77.5 billion (€71.19 billion) of external debt to be paid over the next three years, mainly to Chinese financial institutions and Saudi Arabia.
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