Pakistan obliged to protect its envoy, says Chinese foreign ministry

BEIJING: The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday said that Pakistan, like all other countries, is obliged to protect diplomats and foreign missions based in that country, but it did not wish to discuss reports that a senior Chinese official had purportedly written to Pakistani authorities asking for enhanced security for its envoy in Islamabad.

"I am not aware of the information mentioned by you," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, responding to questions about reports that terrorist belonging to East Turkmenistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) had sneaked into Pakistan and is now posing a threat to the Chinese envoy. "I think it is the obligation of a sovereign country to protect diplomatic missions and personnel according to the Vienna Convention," he said.

The report has not been widely circulated in Chinese media. Observers said Beijing is embarrassed about admitting that it is worried about the safety of its envoys in the territory of its close ally, Pakistan. In June this year, two Chinese teachers were killed by militants in Pakistan. This resulted in some sharp questions being raised in the Chinese social media about why Pakistan, which is a beneficiary of Beijing's largesse, is unable to protect Chinese living there.

News reports had cited a letter from the Chinese official expressing concern about the risk posed by ETIM separatists to China's mission in Islamabad. The letter specifically named a terrorist, Abdul Wali belonging to ETIM, and sought "immediate action" to protect the newly appointed Chinese envoy, Yao Jing, in Islamabad. ETIM is running a separatist movement in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang. "ETIM is a terrorist organization listed by the United Nations Security Council. Combating ETIM is an important part of international counter-terrorism efforts," he said.

When asked if the letter was released by the Chinese authorities or was leaked from the Pakistani government, Geng said he was unaware of "such reports".

China's reported concerns come as it goes forward with massive investments in Pakistan under its $46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor plan, with thousands of Chinese workers and personnel set to move to Pakistan to push forward projects there.

China has been worried about the safety of its citizens engaged in the construction of the $50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor in the face of repeated terrorist incidents in the area covered by the corridor. A grenade attack at a workers' hostel in Gwadar, a key point in the corridor, left 26 people injured last week.