Despite partnership with Russia
China evacuates citizens from Ukraine
3/1/2022 8:53 am
China stands by Russia even after the attack on Ukraine. Nevertheless, they are concerned about their own citizens who live in Ukraine. About 6,000 are in the war zone and should be evacuated as soon as possible.
Against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China has started to evacuate its citizens from the country. Around 600 Chinese students were brought from Kyiv and the southern port city of Odessa on Monday, the state-run newspaper Global Times reported, citing the Chinese embassy in the Ukrainian capital. According to the report, they traveled to neighboring Moldova by bus.
One of the evacuees was quoted as saying that the six-hour journey was “safe and smooth”. According to the report, another 1,000 Chinese nationals are expected to leave Ukraine for Poland and Slovakia on Tuesday.
According to China, around 6,000 Chinese citizens are in Ukraine to work or study. The Chinese embassy in Kyiv initially asked those leaving the country to affix a Chinese flag to their vehicles, but changed course in the face of rumors online that Ukrainians were increasingly hostile towards Chinese citizens.
In dealing with the Ukraine war, China is walking a tightrope: On the one hand, it is on Russia’s side and has repeatedly denounced the “provocations” of the West. On the other hand, Beijing also emphasized the inviolability of state sovereignty. On Monday, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said at an emergency session of the General Assembly in New York: “Ukraine should serve as a communication bridge between East and West and not as a front line of rivalry between great powers.” China decides its stance and policy on a case-by-case basis, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin emphasized on Monday. Russia is a “strategic partner” but not an “ally”.