China has strongly condemned an attack on its consulate in Rio de Janeiro and urged Brazil to investigate the incident and punish the offender.

Security cameras caught a man throwing an explosive at the Chinese consulate on Thursday night. The attack caused some damage to the building but no harm was reported to the occupants.

A statement attributed to Qu Yuhui, counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Brasília, says: "Minister Counsellor Qu severely condemns this violent incident and is communicating with Brazilian authorities, urging them to investigate the case immediately, and hopes they will adopt measures to prevent the occurrence of similar attacks”.

Brazilian officials are investigating the attack based on the remains of the explosive and the CCTV footage.

China said that a small number of people cannot jeopardise the friendship between the two nations. The Chinese embassy also issued an alert for Chinese citizens, companies and institutions to reduce gatherings and take precautions. It also advised them to take precautions during travel.

The two nations enjoy a robust trade partnership. However, their relations have been strained after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro criticised Beijing over the origins of the coronavirus virus and the efficacy of Chinese vaccines.

Chinese officials have often come under attack in other countries, particularly Pakistan, because of Beijing's deep involvement in mega infrastructure projects, which are often perceived as exploitative by local communities.

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In a series of anti-China incidents in Pakistan, at least nine Chinese engineers were killed near the site of a dam project in Kohistan, north-west Pakistan recently.

Soon after this attack two other Chinese nationals were shot at and wounded in Karachi.

Nong Rong, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan was targeted through a bomb blast at a luxury hotel in Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province. He escaped unhurt but many security personnel lost their lives.

In 2019, another luxury hotel in Gwadar township had been attacked over China's overbearing presence in Pakistan's Balochistan province, leading to many casualties.

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