BEIJING: Pakistan and China's 'all weather friendship' was tossed into the bin as Chinese President Xi Jinping chose not to meet Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana. The move is said to be China's way of expressing its chagrin at Sharif government's failure to protect the lives of two Chinese citizens who were kidnapped over two weeks back in Balochistan and killed by militants.
Murders of the Chinese citizens only gave a boost to the issues of terrorism raised by Modi at a speech at the SCO. China has always defended Pak on the subject, especially when issues are raised by India about its role in abetting terrorist attacks in the country. However, China could not accept the killing of its own citizens during a time when the China Pakistan Economic Corridor will bring hundreds of Chinese engineers and workers to Pakistan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, “We are highly concerned.” She added that China had “always been advising Chinese citizens to not visit highly risky regions.”
