QUETTA, Sept 8: The Chinese Consul-General in Karachi, Mr Chen Shanmin, has said that elements involved in attacks on Chinese engineers do not represent the people of Pakistan.Speaking at a roundtable conference on Pakistan-China economic relations with special reference to Balochistan, he said he believed that friendship between China and Pakistan was rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.“No one can separate China and Pakistan or affect our economic cooperation,” he said, adding that despite attacks on Chinese workers his government would continue economic cooperation and would ask its companies to invest in Pakistan.The conference was organised by the Balochistan Economic Forum in collaboration with the Chinese Consulate. It was attended by Senate deputy chairman Mir Jan Mohammed Khan Jamali, Chinese commercial consular in Karachi Wang Qihui, MPA Sheikh Jaffer Khan Mandokhel, BEF president Sardar Shaukat Aziz Popalzai and representatives of Chinese firms working in Balochistan.

Mr Shanmin said his government was concerned about the safety of Chinese companies and personnel working in Pakistan and expressed the hope that the Pakistan government would ensure their safety.

The Chinese diplomat said his country was cooperating with Pakistan in various fields. “China’s Sinosteel is helping the railways ministry in its track renewal programme. The China Mobile Pakistan Company has invested $500 million to improve the cellular phone service.”

He said the China Metallurgical Group Corporation had donated Rs3 million for flood relief in Balochistan.

The Senate deputy chairman said 21st century was the era of ‘great game’ in which China should play its role in collaboration with Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

He said the future of both Pakistan and China depended on each other and added that the Gwadar port would provide China a facility to trade with other parts of the world.

The BEF president said that if the current pace of growth continued, the volume of trade between Pakistan and China would touch $8 billion by 2008.

He said the government would provide full protection to the Chinese and other investors in Balochistan.