China praises Pakistan’s support following last month’s suicide blast at Karachi University

ISLAMABAD: China’s foreign ministry this week praised Pakistan for its support in the wake of last month’s suicide bombing at a Pakistani university in which three Chinese nationals were killed, saying this was a testament to the “all-weather friendship” between the two neighbors. 
Three Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed on April 26 when a suicide bomber targeted a van they were traveling in outside Karachi University in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi. 
The separatist Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility and said a woman suicide bomber carried out the attack.
Following the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Arif Alvi, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former prime minister Imran Khan and other politicians visited the Chinese embassy in Pakistan for condolence.
At a news conference on Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijiansaid Pakistanis from all walks of life had criticized the attack. 
“Pakistani people from all sectors also condemned the terrorist attack and mourned for the victims,” Zhao said.
“This further demonstrates that the China-Pakistan all-weather friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and is the consensus of the ruling party as well as the opposition.”
Zhao vowed that the militants responsible for the attack would fail in their objective to undermine the trust and cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad. He said both countries would probe the incident, get to the truth of the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice. 
He said China attached great importance to Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen security measures for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. 
“[China] stands ready to work together with the Pakistani side to ensure safe and smooth progress in bilateral cooperation and prevent similar incidents from recurring,” he added. 
Chinese targets have frequently been attacked by separatists from Balochistan, where Beijing is involved in huge infrastructure projects as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Baloch separatists have long accused federal governments of unfairly exploiting the oil and mineral-rich Balochistan region.