China has faced terrorist threats in Pakistan before. In 2018, three suicide attackers stormed the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, killing two police officers and two civilians before being killed themselves. Chinese officials have offered to extend those projects to Afghanistan, but have made little progress. Previous Chinese projects there failed to live up to expectations, most prominently a copper mine concession that Chinese companies acquired in 2007. “If it is a terrorist attack,” Mr. Wang said of the episode on Wednesday, “the perpetrators must be arrested immediately, and the perpetrators must be severely punished.”Salman Masood contributed reporting from Islamabad.

Source: International New York Times July 15, 2021 12:56 UTC