Firefighters prepare to extinguish fire after an explosion in Ankara, Turkey February 17, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

Yin Gang, a senior research fellow on Middle East affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that although the bomber reportedly had been recognized as a Syrian national, "it remains to be seen which group or force is behind him", since al-Qaida, Islamic State and other extremist groups are still in Syria.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular news conference in Beijing on Thursday that "China opposes terrorism of any form".

"China has consistently called upon all the relevant parties to strengthen coordination in the anti-terrorism field and ensure regional peace and stability," Hong said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's tourism industry has long been challenged by the security situation and political tension.

According to its tourism authority, the number of international tourists heading to Turkey dropped by 1.61 percent last year compared with 2014. This was the first decline in 25 years.

Feng Rao, head of the tourism research center of Mafengwo, a tourism information-sharing website, said the golden time for Chinese traveling in Turkey starts in April. "February is the off-season of tourism in Turkey," said Feng. "However, it will dampen the enthusiasm of Chinese tourists to visit Turkey", at least for now.

About 200,000 Chinese tourists visited Turkey in 2014, and the figure rose to 310,000 last year, according to Chinese Ambassador to Turkey Yu Hongyang.

XINHUA — AP — REUTERS