5 Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide bomb attack on March 26 in northwest Pakistan. The regional police told Reuters that the engineers were en route from Islamabad to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dasu at a major dam construction site. 

Dasu had been previously attacked in 2021, where a bus blast killed 13, including Chinese nationals. Chinese engineers have been working on numerous infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in which Beijing has invested over $65 billion. The CPEC aims to link China's western Xinjiang to Gwadar port in the southwest and is a part of the country's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

No group has claimed responsibility for the two attacks. While ethnic militants have a history of targeting Chinese interests to push them out of mineral-rich Balochistan, they mainly operate in Pakistan's south and southwest regions. The northwest region, where the bomb attack occurred, falls under the Islamists' area of operation.

In response to the attack, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan released a statement demanding "that the Pakistani side conduct a thorough investigation into the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, and take practical and effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens."

Along with the attacks on a Pakistan naval air base and a strategic port used by the Chinese in southwest Balochistan, the suicide bombing marks the third attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan in the past week. Baloch militants claimed responsibility for these attacks. Siddiqui Naval Airbase, which was attacked, is used to support security and development work in Balochistan and is spearheaded by Beijing. Pakistan's Indian Ocean port of Gwadar, which is on the route to key Gulf shipping lanes, is managed by China. Experts on Chinese military affairs told the Economic Times that the port also opens possibilities of a military base in the region.

A statement issued by the Pakistani military accused "foreign elements" of aiding such incidents in the country, which were carried out to destabilise Pakistan's internal security, sabotage Pakistan's economic progress and cause strife between Pakistan and its allies, most notably China.

Why Baloch Militants Are Targeting China?

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent Balochi militant group, attributes its attacks on Chinese nationals to Beijing not paying heed to warnings not to enter into agreements and deals about Balochistan before the province had been "liberated", as per a Reuters report. 

Over a dozen separatist groups have risen over complaints by Baloch people of not getting a fair share of the resource-rich region's profits. The BLA targets Chinese interests and nationals since Chinese investments do not benefit the local population of Balochistan.

The group demands that all Pakistani security forces withdraw from Balochistan and has asked for an "international guarantor" to be present during negotiations.

The latest in a series of attacks 

This past week's attacks on Chinese nationals and interests are not a new phenomenon. Baloch rebel groups have claimed responsibility for past attacks. These attacks threaten to jeopardise Pakistan's relationship with China, which is critical for the former's economic survival. Even Islamist groups have been involved in such attacks: 

• On August 13 2023, a seven-vehicle convoy carrying 23 Chinese engineers to the Gwadar Port came under attack from BLA separatists. However, no civilians were harmed. 
• The same day, at least four Chinese nationals were killed in an attack by, as per the Associated Press, the suicide squad, Majeed Brigade, of the BLA.
• In April 2022, three Chinese academics and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide attack in Karachi. The four victims were in a van near the Confucius Institute, University of Karachi, when the blast took place. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack.    
• In August 2021, the BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at East Bay Road in the port of Gwadar. Two children were killed, and at least one Chinese national was wounded.
• In July 2021, at least 9 Chinese citizens were killed after an explosion caused a bus carrying construction workers to plunge into a ravine (this was the first attack on Dasu). Then, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi accused Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies of backing the suicide bombing by Islamist militants.    
• In April 2021, 5 were killed in an attack on a luxury hotel in Quetta that was hosting the Chinese ambassador. The Pakistani Taliban took responsibility for this attack.  
• In June 2020, the BLA took responsibility for the deadly attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, where Chinese companies own 40% of the stakes. The attack claimed the lives of at least five people. 
• In November 2018, 4 people were killed in an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, for which the BLA took responsibility.