Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Wednesday that his government is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in the country.

The premier met Chinese leader on the sidelines of the Climate Action Summit (COP-29) in Baku today.

China pushes to join security efforts for citizens in Pakistan: report

The Prime Minister said the government is fully determined to root out the menace of terrorism from the country.

Terming China as the long-lasting friend of Pakistan, PM Shehbaz said a new era has begun to strengthen bilateral relationship between the two countries.

On his part, Ding Xuexiang expressed desire to mutually address the security challenges and expand the scope of Pak-China relationship for the progress and prosperity of the people of both countries.

Chinese projects: Sindh police pushes for ex-servicemen as security guards

The statement comes days after Reuters reported that Beijing is pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working in the South Asian nation, during talks after a car bombing in Karachi that was seen as a major security breach.

Last month’s airport bombing in the southern port city that killed two Chinese engineers returning to work on a project after a holiday in Thailand was the latest in a string of attacks on Beijing’s interests in Pakistan.

The attacks have angered China, which has pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system.