Ramping up the fight against terror: China Daily editorial

Four days after the terrorist attack in Moscow, the terrorist attack in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday is a reminder of the urgency with which countries should strengthen their counterterrorism collaboration.

The suicide attack in Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. Although the loss of life was less than in the Moscow attack, the nature of the act was no different, and it should be strongly condemned. Terrorism is a common enemy of humanity and poses grave threats to people’s lives and social stability worldwide.

The rapid advancements in information technology, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and digitalization of industries including telecommunications, logistics and financial sectors make it easier than ever to plot, organize and launch terrorist attacks, as the ongoing probe into the Moscow attack indicates.

But they also make it easier to spot, prevent and fight terrorism.

That being said, the Pakistani side should waste no time in using all necessary means to carry out a thorough investigation to identify all those behind the attack, which no party has claimed responsibility for, and bring them to justice at an early date. That will be the best condolence for the families of the victims.

The five Chinese nationals who were killed were construction workers and engineers heading to Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, where they worked.

Suspicion is likely to fall on Baloch separatists being the orchestrators of the attack. They have claimed responsibility for previous such terrorist attacks, including the one in July 2021, in which at least 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle near a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani engineers and workers.

The Pakistani authorities should take practical and effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in the country where a large number of China-funded infrastructure projects are underway under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, Chinese citizens and companies in Pakistan must pay close attention to the local security situation and make every effort to ensure they don’t become easy targets for terrorist attacks.

It should be noted that Tuesday's attack came less than a week after Pakistani security forces killed eight Balochistan Liberation Army militants who opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese citizens outside the Chinese-funded Gwadar Port in the volatile southwestern Balochistan province.

"Strategic projects and sensitive sites vital for Pakistan's economic progress and the well-being of its people are being targeted as a conscious effort to retard our progress and sow discord between Pakistan and its strategic allies and partners, most notably China," the Pakistani military said in a statement.

Yet those trying to use such attacks to damage China-Pakistan relations should know that any attempt to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation will never succeed. The two countries are all-weather strategic partners and "iron brothers", and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has made great contributions to Pakistan's economic and social development, and will carry on as planned.

China opposes all forms of terrorism and firmly supports Pakistan's actions to combat terrorism. China will work more firmly with Pakistan to safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.