Following a deadly attack by Taliban militants on a military base in Karachi, Pakistan, the Chinese government initially denied that any Chinese citizens were taken hostage. But today the Foreign Ministry is changing its story. From the New York Times:
A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said “technical staff of a certain enterprise” had been on the naval base in Karachi and were taken hostage in the 16-hour siege, which began late Sunday and left at least 10 Pakistani security officers dead.
Speaking at a regularly scheduled news briefing, Ms. Jiang said she had no report that any Chinese had been injured. She did not say how many had been taken hostage.
The presence of Chinese technical staff members at the naval base, in Karachi, is another sign of China’s growing involvement in Pakistan. Last week, Pakistan’s defense minister, Ahmad Mukhtar, said that China would take over management of the port of Gwadar, a Pakistani city, and that he would welcome having China build a naval port there.
See also “U.S., Chinese Interests on Display in Karachi Raid” from Time.
