The Chinese Consulate General in New York confirmed on Monday that a man robbed and fatally stabbed by a group of three on a Flushing street on Sunday was a Chinese citizen.

"We were told of the attack by New York police on Sunday. We expressed our deep concerns over the killing and hope that police would find the suspects soon and bring those responsible to justice," a senior Chinese diplomat told Xinhua.

Earlier, police told Xinhua on phone that the victim was a male Asian without elaborating on his nationality.

Police said the slaying happened at about 4:00 AM Sunday at the corner of Elder Avenue and Colden Street in Flushing,a residential area in Queens Borough.

The victim, in his 40s, was returning from Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations with a group of friends when he was approached by the men, who may have wanted his cell phone and jewelry, police said, adding one of the suspects stabbed the victim in the chest before all three fled.

Since the victim was walking a block ahead, his friends did not get involved, according to police.

Residents who live in a nearby apartment complex said they witnessed a confrontation that led to the violent stabbing.

After the stabbing, the victim collapsed onto a fire hydrant, where blood stains remained on patches of snow on the sidewalk, witnesses said.

The victim was then taken to New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

According to the city medical examiner, the victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his body. An autopsy will be completed in one or two days.

The name of the victim was withheld pending the notification of his next-of-kin.

(Xinhua News Agency February 20, 2007)