A man driving a rented pickup truck barreled down a popular New York City bike path on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least eight people and injuring more than a dozen others in what authorities said was a terrorist attack.

Of the slain, six were pronounced dead at the scene and two others at a nearby hospital, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.

"We condemn the incident and express sympathy and condolences to the injured and families of the victims," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday. "Terrorism is the common enemy of all people. China is opposed to terrorism of any form and calls for the international community to enhance anti-terrorism cooperation," she said at a daily news conference.