KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistan has agreed to increase security for Chinese citizens and projects in the South Asian nation, a joint statement said on Tuesday, as Beijing called for urgent security measures following an escalation in militant threats in the country.
China has pumped billions of dollars into Pakistan over the years building infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative, while also running a strategic port and a major mine in the country.
But its citizens and projects have been attacked continuously by separatist militants fighting against what they call exploitation of the mineral-rich southwestern Balochistan province.
“The Chinese side underscored the need and urgency to take targeted security measures in Pakistan, to jointly create a safe environment for cooperation,” said a joint statement on the visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Li arrived in Islamabad on Monday for a four-day visit- the first visit by a Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years – days after a suicide bombing in Karachi killed two Chinese engineers. It was the second attack on Chinese engineers in the country this year.
The visit coincides with a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a Eurasian security and political group.
The Pakistani side emphasised its firm commitment to enhancing security input and coordination as well as strengthening security measures, the statement, released by Pakistan’s foreign office, added.
Pakistan will make “comprehensive efforts to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions,” the 30-point statement added.
Islamabad is under tight security for the duration of the Chinese premier’s visit, which concludes on Thursday.
The joint statement also pressed on regional, economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.
Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to an upgraded version of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $65 billion investment in the South Asian country under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam in Islamabad and Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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