Two Chinese abducted on the New Silk Road in Pakistan – China’s latest political and current affairs news

Reuters reports that two Chinese language teachers in the western Pakistani city of Quetta, in Baluchistan Province, have been kidnapped by armed men pretending to be police. The incident is “likely to worry Beijing,” as security — particularly in Baluchistan — has been a long-standing concern of China as it builds the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through the area. The Chinese abducted this time were not employees of CPEC-affiliated projects, but thousands of Chinese in the area are employed by Chinese state-owned enterprises and protected by Pakistani security forces.

The CPEC has also been the subject of protests in Pakistan, where many accuse the projects of attempting to steal natural resources. After the kidnapping, the hashtag “Chinese citizens kidnapped in Pakistan” (#中国公民在巴基斯坦遭绑架#) trended on the social media hub Weibo, where commenters expressed concern and good wishes for the teachers.

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