Separatists attack convoy
Chinese delegation attacked in Pakistan
08/13/2023, 6:00 p.m
Undeterred, China has been pushing ahead with its international infrastructure projects for years. An important one is the China-Pakistan corridor. Now local militias in Pakistan have once again made Chinese nationals the target of an attack.
Militant separatists in Pakistan have attacked a military convoy near the strategic port of Gwadar, according to the military and a security source. According to a security official, the convoy contained a delegation of Chinese nationals who were traveling to a construction project. An article by “Al Jazeera” mentions engineers and a group size of 23 people.
China has made major investments in resource-rich Balochistan province as part of its “Belt and Road” initiative, including expanding the deep-sea port of Gwadar, despite decades of separatist insurgency in the region. The Chinese have also been the target of terrorist attacks in Pakistan in the past five years.
The military said after the latest incident that two separatists were killed and no soldiers or civilians were injured. The Chinese citizens were not mentioned in the statement. “Al Jazeera” reports, citing the local police, that no one in the Chinese group was harmed.
Militias criticize resource exploitation
According to the military, the attack is said to have been aimed at Chinese passengers who were traveling from Gwadar Airport to a construction site in the port area. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack. The BLA and other militant groups have criticized the province’s resource extraction and accuse China of complicity.
The China-Pakistan corridor ends in Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, one of several multi-billion dollar projects of the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative. In German, this is often described as the “New Silk Road”. Beijing wants to massively expand its international trade infrastructure networks.