Police inspect a site around a damaged vehicle following a suicide bombing near the Confucius Institute affiliated with the Karachi University, in Karachi on April 26, 2022. A woman suicide bomber from a Pakistan separatist group killed four people, including three Chinese nationals, in an attack on a vehicle carrying staff from the Confucius Institute affiliated with the Karachi University. Photo: AFP

Chinese businesses in Pakistan are operating without disruption, though they are ramping up precautions to ensure the safety of personnel and projects in accordance with official guidelines, after a terrorist attack in Karachi killed three Chinese nationals on Tuesday afternoon.

A suicide attack on a shuttle bus used by Karachi's Confucius Institute occurred on Tuesday afternoon, killing three Chinese teachers and their local driver and injuring another person, according to a release from the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

After the attack, several state-owned companies that are deeply involved in Belt and Road projects in the country assured the Global Times that their local employees are safe and the projects have not been disrupted.

PowerChina, a major participant in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship cooperation project, told the Global Times on Wednesday that their personnel and projects have not been affected by the attack.

"We have military personnel stationed at our construction sites to guarantee our safety," the company said.

A manager surnamed Jin with Henan D.R. Construction Group, a large construction company with several projects in Pakistan, told the Global Times that "we don't have projects in operation in the region where the attack took place, so we are unaffected so far," Jin said.

But Jin said that the company is reducing outdoor activities, especially in high-risk areas. Certain safety and security measures for personnel and projects have also been strengthened.

A person with domestic mining conglomerate China Metallurgical Group Corp, which has copper mining business in the country and a branch office in Karachi, said on Wednesday that business is going on as normal, with strengthened security measures.

Given the situation on the ground, the company has been strengthening security measures in recent years, the person said.

The company operates several mining projects in Pakistan, including the Saindak copper-gold mine project in west Pakistan.

China State Construction said that it had received the notification from the Chinese Embassy asking it to strengthen security precautions. The Embassy also provided emergency phone numbers.

"The company organized a meeting about security work in Pakistan on Wednesday afternoon, during which our security officers offered suggestions to raise the level of security inside the company," China State Construction told the Global Times.

Another large state-owned infrastructure company, China Communications Construction Co, told the Global Times that its projects are operating in accordance with the guidance of the Chinese Embassy.

After the attack, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan immediately activated emergency response mechanisms and dispatched personnel to the scene, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference on Wednesday.

"At the same time, stronger measures will be taken to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Pakistan, so that such incidents will never happen again," Wang said.

During a visit to the Chinese Embassy on Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stressed that the Pakistani government is using all its forces to conduct an in-depth investigation of the incident, while pledging to strengthen the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.

Sharif also reiterated that Pakistan would never allow any force to undermine the great friendship and cooperation between China and Pakistan.