By Gaurav Sharma

Beijing, Feb 6 (IANS): China on Tuesday condemned the killing of its national in Pakistan and asked the government to protect its citizens in the country.

The Chinese national working with a shipping company was shot dead in Karachi on Monday. The police have described it as a targeted attack.

"On Monday, a Chinese citizen was shot dead. The Consulate General in Pakistan has urged the Pakistan police to solve the case as soon as possible and bring the criminal to justice," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

"We strongly condemn the violence against the Chinese citizens and will closely follow the development of the case and will provide necessary assistance to the families.

"We hope and believe Pakistan will continue to take measures to safeguard the security of Chinese institutions and personnel."

There have been growing numbers of attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan where they work in large numbers on Beijing's multi-billion dollar projects.

Beijing has committed over $50 billion to build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a key component of its Belt and Road project.

Last year, two Chinese citizens were kidnapped and killed in Quetta. A Chinese engineer has been reported missing in Pakistan since December 2017.

In the wake of growing attacks, China had issued a safety advisory to its citizens living in Pakistan.

"Recently, the Pakistani government and military have taken a counter-terrorism and security management actions, We support Pakistan to promote relevant actions and safeguard the domestic security and stability," Geng added.