* Pakistan minister says security boosted for foreign

projects

* Saindak mine operator warns of possible shutdown within a

month

* China says reaffirms 'all-weather' partnership with

Pakistan

* Balochistan violence has also stalled Barrick's Reko Diq

project

ISLAMABAD, July 15 (Reuters) - Pakistan has pledged extra

security for its largest operating Chinese-run copper and gold

mine after the operator warned that worsening militant violence

could force it to halt production within a month, a senior

minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

The warning from Saindak Metals Limited, the joint venture

behind the Saindak mine in Balochistan province, highlights

growing security risks for Chinese investments in Pakistan's

mineral-rich southwest, where separatist attacks have

intensified and disrupted other major projects.

"We have directed the provincial authorities and all

concerned security agencies to beef up deployment for all of

their installations, personnel, logistics and transportation,"

Pakistan's state minister for the interior, Talal Chaudhry, told

Reuters.

Chaudhry said the interior ministry received the mine

operator's concerns in early July.

"It is our priority to safeguard all projects run by

international companies in Pakistan," he said, adding that

logistics and cargo shipments to the site would receive

additional security protection.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, hosts

several major Chinese-backed ⁠projects, including the deep-water

port of Gwadar.

Baloch separatists have sought an independent state for

decades, arguing that Pakistan and its foreign allies have

exploited the province's natural resources without adequately

benefiting local communities.

The Financial Times reported earlier on Wednesday that

Saindak's managing director had warned Pakistan's energy

ministry that operations could become unsustainable within a

month because deteriorating security conditions were disrupting

supply routes.

The Saindak mine is operated by the state-owned

Metallurgical Corporation of China under a lease extended in

2022, and exports most of its output to China.

China's foreign ministry said it was unaware of the

situation but reiterated Beijing's close ties with Islamabad.

"China and Pakistan are staunch friends and all-weather

strategic partners," a ministry spokesperson said, adding that

Beijing would work with Pakistan to protect Chinese citizens,

projects and institutions in the country.

The unrest in Balochistan has also clouded the outlook for

Barrick Mining's ( B ) $9 billion Reko Diq gold and copper project,

located about 50 km (31 miles) from Saindak.