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Zhou Xin

Islamic State has killed two Chinese citizens it kidnapped in Pakistan last month, Reuters reported, citing the militant group’s Amaq news agency on Thursday.
Armed men pretending to be policemen kidnapped two Chinese-language teachers in the Pakistani city of Quetta on May 24.
“Islamic State fighters killed two Chinese people they had been holding in Baluchistan province, southwest Pakistan,” Amaq said.
Phone calls by the South China Morning Post to the Chinese embassy in Islamabad went unanswered late on Thursday.
If confirmed, it would be the latest killing by IS of Chinese citizens, following the killing of Fan Jinghui, a former middle-school teacher in Beijing and freelance advertising consultant, in November 2015. Fan was the first Chinese citizen to be killed by Islamic State.
The kidnapping of the two Chinese in Pakistan happened in a remote region of the country, a dangerous but important part of Beijing’s new Silk Road.

The couple were teaching Chinese at a language centre in Jinnah town in Quetta, the capital city of southwestern Baluchistan province. Militants with guns abducted the pair last month, dragging them into a vehicle and then driving away around noon, China’s state television quoted the Pakistan Chinese embassy as saying.
After the kidnapping, China’s foreign ministry said Beijing would work with Pakistan to “make every effort” to rescue the two Chinese nationals. Lu Kang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, had said the Chinese government had “maintained close communication with Pakistan since the abduction took place and urged Pakistan to take all necessary measures to secure the early release of the hostages”.
A Chinese website affiliated with Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV reported on Monday that the Pakistan military force had pinpointed the whereabouts of the two kidnapped Chinese nationals and exchanged fire with the kidnappers.
China flags ‘fight’ against terrorism as it confirms for first time Islamic State has executed hostage Fan Jinghui
No group had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. In the past, Islamist militant factions have kidnapped foreigners inside Pakistan either to obtain a ransom or to get publicity for their cause.
The kidnapping has underscored the perils in China’s Belt and Road programme, its biggest venture into economic diplomacy, covering some of the world’s most dangerous territory.
While China is boosting its economic presence and investment in Belt and Road countries – many of which are plagued by ­unrest –, Beijing is reluctant to send military or security forces to ­ensure the safety of these projects. It has instead mainly relied on host-country governments to provide protection. But in places like Quetta, which is close to the border of Afghanistan, the protection provided by Islamabad is ­often limited.
Hong Kong police on alert for terror threat from lone wolves inspired by Islamic State
For teachers like the kidnapped pair, Pakistan offered an opportunity. The number of Pakistani students studying Putonghua has skyrocketed since 2014, when President Xi Jinping signed off on plans to fund the construction of power and road infrastructure in the country as part of the US$46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The kidnapping came just two weeks after Xi convened a summit with some 30 state and government leaders in Beijing, ­including Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to promote Belt and Road, an ambitious trade initiative that aims to revive ancient trade routes along the Silk Road.
Baluchistan is in the centre of the China-Pakistan corridor, the biggest single project under the Belt and Road banner. Roads, railways and gas pipelines are planned to link China’s far west hinterland of Xinjiang to the China-operated port of Gwadar on Pakistan’s southern coast.
Additional reporting by Reuters


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Islamic militancy

Islamic State kills two Chinese teachers kidnapped in Pakistan, agency says

A soldier stands guard near the site where two Chinese language teachers were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Quetta, Pakistan on May 24. Photo: Reuters

The residential compound that Fan Jinghui lived in Shijingshan, west Beijing. 19NOV15 Photo by Laura Zhou

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The couple were abducted by armed militants posing as policemen in the city of Quetta on May 24


Islamic State kills two Chinese teachers kidnapped in Pakistan, agency says

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The couple were abducted by armed militants posing as policemen in the city of Quetta on May 24

The couple were abducted by armed militants posing as policemen in the city of Quetta on May 24