BEIJING - The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed here on Wednesday that one Chinese woman was shot dead in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar on Tuesday.

Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular press conference, "The Foreign Ministry pays great attention to the incident, and the Chinese embassy in Pakistan has launched emergency procedures to handle the case.

"The Chinese side has also urged Pakistan to seize and punish the gunmen and take effective measures to strengthen protection of Chinese organizations and citizens there."

On Tuesday, at about 5 pm local time, two unknown gunmen approached on a motorbike and opened fire at two people sitting in a car at a marketplace in the downtown area of Peshawar. The gunmen fled the scene after the shooting. Both victims were shot in the head and died on the way to hospital.

A passport found in the pocket of the dead woman showed she was a Chinese national. The other man killed was a local resident.