China has altogether evacuated 170 citizens from Lebanon,
including seven Hong Kong compatriots, since Israel launched the
massive assault on Lebanon on July 12, the Foreign Ministry said
last night.
Through the cooperation of the Foreign Ministry and Chinese
embassies to Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Israel, the evacuation is
almost completed and only several Chinese citizens choosing to stay
in Lebanon for various reasons, an official from the Foreign
Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs said in anonymity.
The remaining officials in the Chinese Embassy to Lebanon,
including Ambassador Liu Xianghua, will be always ready to give the
remaining Chinese citizens emergent assistance at any time, the
official said.
According to the Chinese Embassy to Lebanon, some of those
remaining people are living in comparatively safe place. Some have
married local people and don't want to depart from their families.
Some were hired by local people and prefer not to quit their
jobs.
The official also urged those remained to provide their ways of
contact to the embassy so that the embassy may help them in
emergency.
The Chinese government always attaches highly importance on the
protection of overseas Chinese. The Foreign Ministry and Chinese
embassies to foreign countries have handled nearly 30,000 issues
concerning consular protection in 2005.
In April and May this year, China evacuated some 243 and 325
Chinese nationals, including Hong Kong compatriots, respectively
from the unrest-hit Solomon Islands and East Timor.
(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2006)
