China says one Chinese U.N. peacekeeper has been killed and four injured in an early morning attack on their base in Mali.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described the attack Wednesday as an act of terrorism and a serious crime that would not be tolerated.

Hua said China is calling on the Malian government and the United Nations to conduct an immediate investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. The attack was the second on U.N. peacekeepers in recent days, with at least five Togolese killed in an attack Sunday by extremists in central Mali.

China has more than 2,400 troops assigned to United Nations peacekeeping missions in Mali, Liberia and five other African nations.