BEIJING, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has urged Pakistan to protect Chinese citizens after a Chinese citizen was killed in a hostage crisis there.
Hu made the appeal in a meeting with the head of Pakistan's parliament when he was visiting Beijing, the official China Daily newspaper reported.
Two Chinese engineers were held hostage in Pakistan's restive South Waziristan Tribal Agency bordering Afghanistan on Oct. 9. One was killed and the other injured in a rescue raid by Pakistani military forces on Oct. 14, the China Daily said.
In a meeting Friday with Chaudhry Amir Hussain, speaker of the Pakistani National Assembly, Hu said he appreciated Pakistan's efforts to rescue the Chinese hostage and to help deal with remaining problems. The Chinese government, however, remains very worried about its citizens in Pakistan.
China and Pakistan have been close allies for many years. The two countries reached consensus on developing bilateral relations in the new century during the China tour by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf last November, Hu said. "China- Pakistani friendship sets an example for countries with different social systems and cultural backgrounds," he said.
