Chinese President Xi Jinping condemns Islamic State,s killing of Chinese hostage

"Terrorism is the common enemy of human beings," Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

The Chinese national has been identified as Fan Jinghui.

The IS has kept him in hostage.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said in a statement: "Fan Jinghui, a Chinese citizen, was kidnapped and cruelly killed by the Islamic State extremist group. We express our condolences to the victim and sympathy to his family.

"The Chinese government and people have been very concerned about Fan Jinghui's safety since he was kidnapped. Relevant departments of the Chinese government activated emergency response mechanism upon learning the kidnapping and made all-out efforts to rescue him. However, with no regard for human conscience and moral baseline, the terrorist organization still carried out this cold-blooded and violent action. The Chinese government strongly condemns this inhuman action and will definitely hold the perpetrators accountable" the spokesperson said.

"Terrorism is the common enemy faced by all humanity. The Chinese government opposes all forms of terrorism and firmly cracks down on any violent and terrorist crime that challenges the baseline of human civilization. The Chinese side will continue to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation with the international community and safeguard world peace and tranquility," the spokesperson said on the killing of the Chinese national.

Ole-Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, 48, from Norway has also been killed by the militant group.