ISTANBUL

China on Monday strongly condemned a militant attack targeting Chinese engineers in Pakistan on Sunday.

“China has requested Pakistan to severely punish the culprits and to take practical and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry.

At least two suspected militants were killed after they launched an attack on a military convoy escorting Chinese workers to a port project in Gwadar in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Sunday.

The militants used small arms and hand grenades during the attack.

“China will continue to work with Pakistan to jointly address the threat of terrorism and effectively protect the security of Chinese personnel, institutions, and projects in Pakistan,” said Wang, according to the Beijing-based daily Global Times.

“Any attempt to undermine the friendship between China and Pakistan and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will never succeed,” said the spokesman.

Wang said Chinese nationals, enterprises, and projects have been asked to “be more vigilant, upgrade security initiatives, prevent security risks, closely monitor the security situation and ensure safety.”

Launched in 2014, CPEC has attracted $25.4 billion in direct investment in 10 years into Pakistan.

CPEC is a major economic and infrastructure project between China and Pakistan, which enables China to access the Arabian Sea through Pakistan's Gwadar Port.