Photo: Reuters

Terrorists in Pakistan are targeting Chinese nationals and the Chinese Embassy has warned its citizens to be on the alert.

"As far as we know, terrorists are planning a series of attacks targeting Chinese organizations and people and in Pakistan," a notice released on the official website of the embassy in Islamabad said Friday.

The embassy reminded Chinese organizations and citizens to enhance their safety awareness, strengthen their defense and avoid crowded locations.

The statement also called on Chinese citizens to cooperate with Pakistan military or police checks and contact local police or the embassy in an emergency.

"China and Pakistan have maintained a friendly and cooperative relationship for a long time. However, there are some extreme nationalists and Al-Qaeda members that see China as an enemy," Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

They attack Chinese citizens and organizations to benefit themselves, Hu said. "These attacks could threaten Chinese investment in Pakistan," he said.

Pakistan on Monday confirmed that two Chinese citizens abducted in May were killed by the Islamic State in June. 

"China firmly opposes all kinds of terrorism and extreme violence against civilians and supports Pakistan's efforts to combat terrorism and safeguard domestic security," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in Beijing in June.

The Ministry of Commerce of China said in June that the Pakistani government has deployed a special security division of 15,000 to safeguard projects on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and that provincial governments have hired more security personnel, according to the ministry's website.