“Today, 1er March, at 7:13 p.m., a special train to Warsaw will be added from Kiev station, mainly to evacuate women and children, and will be interconnected with Polish trains at the border. Please let everyone know. » In the Ukrainian capital threatened by a carpet of Russian bombs, the Chinese embassy is trying to organize a possibility of escape for its nationals. In Ukraine, 6,000 of them have registered for evacuation, according to Chinese authorities. Students or business executives, expatriates who live mainly in Kiev, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odessa or Sumy, where the university hosts many young Chinese.
Faced with the invasion of the Russian army, which China does not qualify as such, the protection of its citizens is a particularly sensitive matter for it. The American press reported that Washington had warned Beijing of the imminence of the Russian operation, to allow it to organize an exit from the country. But the Chinese authorities did not take the American authority at its word. Today, it has become impossible for them to get their nationals to leave by charter, as they announced on February 25. “Take the special trains to neighboring countries”, thus urges Ambassador Fan Xianrong. According to the nationalist daily GlobalTimes2,300 Chinese are said to have left Ukraine on Monday and Tuesday.
“Ukraine will take all measures”
The subject was at the heart of the exchange – the first since the start of the war – which took place on Tuesday between the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, and his counterpart, Wang Yi. “It is hoped that Ukraine will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and continue to provide guarantees and facilities for their evacuation”emphasizes the press release from Beijing, which welcomes the first efforts undertaken, but does not mention Mr. Kuleba’s response: “The best guarantee for the safety of Chinese and other foreigners in Ukraine is for their governments to put pressure on Russia. »
The Chinese Communist Party has shown for some years its ability to save its nationals around the world, whatever the circumstances. Its investments in foreign ports and airports are also intended to help respond to crisis situations. In March 2011, the successful evacuation of 36,000 Chinese from Libya stunned Westerners with its maturity: with land, air and naval assets (including a missile-launching frigate) sent thousands of kilometers from the motherland, this was the largest repatriation operation carried out abroad by the regime. Photos of refugees arriving safe and sound in Greek ports had largely served the regime’s propaganda.
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