The Chinese embassy in Pakistan has called on Islamabad to punish those responsible for a deadly attack on Chinese nationals near the international airport in the southern city of Karachi on Sunday night.

At least two Chinese were killed and one Chinese and several Pakistanis were injured, China's embassy said in a statement on Monday morning.

The embassy said that around 11pm on Sunday a "terrorist attack" was launched on vehicles of a China-funded electric power company.

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The embassy demanded Islamabad "conduct a thorough investigation of the attack, and severely punish the perpetrators", and also emphasised the need to "take practical and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan".

"The Chinese embassy and consulates-general in Pakistan strongly condemn this act of terrorism, express deep condolences for the victims from both countries, and extend sincere sympathies to the injured and their families," it said, adding that the Chinese side had been working with Pakistani authorities in the aftermath.

In a statement emailed to journalists, separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said it carried out the attack using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting "a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors".

The regional government of southern Sindh province said on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, that a tanker had exploded on the airport motorway. Pakistan broadcaster Geo News said at least 10 people were hurt in the blast.

The company employing the attacked workers is involved in the Pakistan Port Qasim Power Project, a flagship project under Beijing's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, around 37km (20 miles) southeast of Karachi.

The attack follows similar incidents in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor this year in which Chinese nationals and China-affiliated projects in the South Asian country were targeted.

The economic corridor between the two countries is a flagship section of the belt and road programme and many Chinese engineers have been working on a number of projects in Pakistan.

In March, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a dam in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing five Chinese. Pakistan's military claimed the assault was planned in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Before that, a naval airbase and a strategic port in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where China has invested billions in infrastructure projects, were attacked.

The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, the province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. In August, it launched coordinated attacks there, killing more than 70 people.

A vehicle is on fire at the site of a deadly explosion outside the Karachi international airport on Sunday. Photo: AP alt=A vehicle is on fire at the site of a deadly explosion outside the Karachi international airport on Sunday. Photo: AP>

The group specifically targets Chinese interests, particularly in the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of aiding Islamabad in exploiting the province. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing's consulate in Karachi.

According to Lin Minwang, deputy director of Fudan University's Centre for South Asian Studies, if China maintains a strict non-intervention policy, the issue of violence against Chinese interests is not likely to be resolved as Pakistan lacks the capacity to eradicate the terrorist groups.

"China has been caught in the conflict between Islamabad and the separatist militants, and targeting Chinese interests has become a useful tool for the BLA," he said.

Lin said the issue had persisted for around two decades, with the number of attacks surging after the economic corridor was established and the China factor "grew increasingly important in Pakistan's internal politics".

The withdrawal of US troops from neighbouring Afghanistan, where they had conducted counterterrorism measures, also contributed to the increase in attacks, he said.

Lin said any intervention by China would test its military capabilities abroad and depend on Islamabad's willingness, which appeared to be lacking.

"With no party prepared, this situation is likely to persist" even though economic ties between the two countries appeared likely to stay strong.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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