China urges Pakistan 'to bring to justice' killers of two nationals

China on Tuesday urged Pakistan to "bring to justice" the killers of two young Chinese nationals who had been abducted in Balochistan in May.

On Monday, the Pakistan government confirmed their deaths after DNA tests had been conducted. The male and female Chinese nationals were named as Lee Zing Yang, 24, and Meng Li Si, 26.China on Tuesday also confirmed their deaths, and said it expressed "deep condolences" to the victims and "sincere sympathies to the relatives of the victims".

"We hope Pakistan can continue all-out efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. "China condemns all forms of terrorism and violent attacks on innocent civilians".

Hua said China "attaches high importance to the security and legitimate rights and interests of citizens overseas" and also "urges Chinese citizens



overseas to note all the alerts issued and heighten their awareness".

The abduction and killing received prominent attention in China when first reported in June, and brought attention to the issue of safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan as Beijing goes forward with its $46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor development plan.

Since then, there has been little information on the case, with some reports saying the two young nationals may have been missionaries working for a South Korean Christian organisation.

Pakistani media reports on Monday said an investigation had informed the Interior Ministry that the two abductees had travelled on business visas issued by the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing. They had gone to Quetta ostensibly for learning Urdu, but to work with an underground church, Pakistani authorities have said.