China, Pakistan to cooperate on hunting down terrorists: spokesperson

BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has described Tuesday's terrorist attack in Karachi, Pakistan, as very vile, adding that China will work with Pakistan to hunt down the perpetrators, bring them to justice and make them pay a heavy price.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks on Wednesday at a regular news briefing in response to the terrorist attack on a van of the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi.

"We once again extend deep condolences to the victims of the two countries and sincere sympathies to the injured and the bereaved families," Wang said.

He described the incident as a premeditated suicide terrorist attack against Chinese citizens. The terrorists directly targeted teachers, the inheritors of human civilization and promoters of cultural exchanges, making the attack a very vile and a heinous act, said Wang, adding that the Chinese side expresses strong condemnation and indignation at it.

The Chinese government always attaches great importance to the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions overseas, Wang said, pointing out that following the incident, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions in Pakistan immediately activated the emergency response mechanism and sent staff to the scene.

Officials of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions in Pakistan have urged the Pakistani side to do its best to treat the injured, properly handle the follow-up matters of those killed, conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the attack, arrest the perpetrators and severely punish them according to law, he said.

At the same time, stronger measures should be taken to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan so that such incidents will never happen again, he added.

The Chinese diplomatic missions in Pakistan also reminded Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan to strengthen security awareness and enhance the security level to ensure their own safety.

"Yesterday, the Chinese Consul General in Karachi went to the hospital to visit the injured Chinese teacher, who is receiving proper treatment and recovering," the spokesperson said.

Wang noted that Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad on Tuesday evening to express his condolences, stressing that the Pakistani government is using all its resources to conduct an in-depth probe into the incident, and will spare no effort to hunt down the perpetrators and make an example of the perpetrators in punishing them.

Wang added that the Pakistani side pledged to take further measures to strengthen the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan in an all-round way.

Sharif said his government will never allow any force to undermine Pakistan-China friendship and cooperation.

The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, Wang said, adding that China firmly supports Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts and will work with Pakistan to hunt down the perpetrators, bring them to justice and make them pay a heavy price.

"We once again remind Chinese citizens in Pakistan to pay close attention to the local security situation and prevent security risks," he added.