Q: It’s been reported that an attack on a gold mining site in the Central African Republic has killed and injured several Chinese nationals. Do you have any details on what happened? How’s the current security situation there?

A: On March 19 Beijing time, an armed attack on a Chinese private company in the Central African Republic killed nine and severely injured two others — all Chinese nationals. General Secretary Xi Jinping has given it his full attention and personally instructed that every effort be made to save the lives of the injured, make timely and proper arrangements for dealing with the aftermath of the attack, make sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice and ensure the safety of Chinese nationals.

The Foreign Ministry sprang to action upon General Secretary Xi’s instruction. We immedi