China condemned a terrorist attack that killed 22 people in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and expressed condolences to the victims and sympathy to their families and the injured.

Twenty civilians and two policemen were killed in the attack, and 40 others were injured at a Spanish restaurant in a diplomatic zone of Dhaka on the night of July 1.

"China firmly opposes all violence against innocent civilians and strongly condemns the hostage incident in Dhaka," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a press release.

He added that China supports all efforts made by Bangladesh in fighting terrorism and safeguarding national security.

Among the 20 civilians were 9 Italians, 7 Japanese, 2 Bangladeshis, a U.S. citizen and an Indian national.

Authorities said six attackers were killed during an armed raid on the morning of July 2 that ended the 13-hour siege in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave of Gulshan.

Some 13 hostages, including one Japanese and two Sri Lankans, were rescued.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2016)