The Chinese Consulate General in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg has urged local authorities to find the culprits who killed a Chinese man during a robbery, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Monday.

The consulate said in a statement that the robbery on Saturday, in which a second Chinese person was injured, was a random crime that did not target specific foreign nationals.

According to information provided by the local police department, three unidentified men carrying stun guns broke into the apartment of several Chinese merchants early on Saturday morning. The merchants were beaten and robbed of cash, a laptop computer, four mobile phones and jewelry.

During the attack, 24-year-old Hua Yuwen, of Liaoning province, was killed.

The Foreign Ministry urged the Russian police on Monday to identify the culprits as soon as possible and bring them to justice.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday “the Chinese government hopes the Russian government will take every necessary step to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Russia”.

Hua confirmed that the injured Chinese merchant had been taken to a hospital and that a police investigation is underway.

With Chinese increasingly setting up businesses in Russia, the robbery has raised concerns about the safety of the Chinese community there.

A diplomat from the Chinese Consulate General in Yekaterinburg, who declined to be named, said the suspects involved in this case are from Central Asian countries.

[email protected]