In a serious diplomatic response to a deadly explosion in Kabul’s Shahr-e Naw area Beijing has urged the Afghan authorities to step up protection for Chinese citizens after a blast at a restaurant on January 19 killed at least seven people including one Chinese national and injured several others with reports saying the regional branch of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that targeted a place popular with Chinese visitors and local Afghan patrons China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun expressed deep condolences for the victims and called on Kabul to make every effort to treat the injured and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals enterprises and institutions in Afghanistan urging a thorough investigation and that those responsible be brought to justice while also advising Chinese citizens and companies in the country to enhance their security awareness and consider evacuating high-risk areas and warning against travel to Afghanistan in the current security climate even as Taliban officials have vowed to restore security and court foreign investment amid declining aid underscoring rising concerns in Beijing about the safety of its people and interests abroad in the face of persistent militant threats.
