A large explosion targeting a convoy of Chinese workers in Pakistan's biggest city killed two Chinese nationals, an attack later claimed by a separatist group, Beijing's embassy said Monday.
Beijing is a crucial ally for cash-strapped Pakistan but Chinese-funded infrastructure projects have sparked resentment and terrorist groups routinely target its nationals.
A "tanker" exploded on the airport motorway in the port city of Karachi around 11 p.m. (6 p.m. GMT) Sunday, the regional government of southern Sindh province said on X.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist terrorist group, said in a statement that it had "targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors" coming from Karachi's international airport.
Karachi borders Balochistan province, the largest but poorest region of the country, where billions of dollars have been funneled into transport, energy and infrastructure projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The BLA is waging a war of independence against the state, which it accuses of permitting unfair exploitation of resources by outsiders in the mineral-rich region.
In August, it carried out coordinated attacks across Balochistan that killed dozens of mostly Punjabis, the largest ethnic group in Pakistan, who were working in the region.
Beijing's embassy to Pakistan said in a statement on Monday that two Chinese citizens had been killed in a "terror attack" on a convoy of personnel from the Chinese-funded Port Qasim power project.
The attack also left one Chinese and several Pakistani citizens wounded, the embassy said.
The embassy urged authorities to "conduct a thorough investigation of the attack and severely punish the killers, while at the same time taking practical measures to fully ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects."
Beijing has repeatedly asked Islamabad to ensure the safety and security of Chinese nationals and its interests.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that it "reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals."
Sunday night's attack comes a week before Pakistan hosts several heads of governments for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, a bloc established by Russia and China to deepen ties with Central Asian states.
Beijing is Islamabad's closest regional ally, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often struggling neighbor.
The CPEC has seen tens of billions of dollars funneled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects – part of Beijing's transnational "Belt and Road" initiative.
A suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers working on the construction of a dam in northwestern Pakistan in March, temporarily pausing the project.
The attack was not claimed, but it came days after militants attempted to storm offices of the Gwadar deepwater port at the other end of the country, considered a cornerstone of Chinese investment in Pakistan.
In June 2020, Baloch insurgents targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which is partly owned by Chinese companies, in the commercial capital of Karachi.
In 2019, gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Balochistan province overlooking the flagship Chinese-backed deepwater seaport in Gwadar that gives strategic access to the Arabian Sea – killing at least eight people.
