China said on Thursday it will do all it can to ensure the safe return of two citizens kidnapped in Quetta and it promised new measures to protect Chinese people and companies working in the country, an important link on its Silk Road infrastructure plan. Gunmen pretending to be policemen kidnapped two Chinese language teachers in Quetta on Wednesday.
"China will continue to make maximal efforts alongside Pakistan to strive for the safe return of the kidnapped individuals as soon as possible," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing in Beijing. "We will also take further actions to ensure the safety of Chinese individuals and organisations in Pakistan," he added.
Chinese officials have repeatedly urged Pakistan to strengthen security for its companies and individuals, especially in resource-rich Balochistan, where China is building a port and funding roads to link its western regions with the Arabian Sea. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. In the past, Islamist militant groups have kidnapped foreigners in Pakistan for ransom or to drum up publicity for their cause.
The China National Radio state broadcaster reported that three Chinese citizens, two women and a man, were eating in a restaurant in Quetta when gunmen men came in and dragged them towards a car without licence plates. A crowd formed around the kidnappers who then fired warning shots into the air. One of the Chinese woman then escaped, the broadcaster said, citing a witness. Police in Quetta told Reuters the teachers did not work on Beijing-funded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects as they did not have guards. Pakistan provides security for all Chinese workers on CPEC projects in Balochistan.
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