1,200 Chinese employees evacuated to Baghdad: FM spokesman

More than 1,200 employees of a Chinese company have been safely evacuated from the war-torn northern city of Samarra and moved to Iraq's capital of Baghdad, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Friday.

The workers are with the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) that is undertaking the construction of a power plant in Iraq's northern province of Salahudin. They had been trapped in Samarra some 120 km to the north of Baghdad.

They received assistance from the Chinese Embassy and the Iraqi government and military in the process of evacuation, Qin said.

"In the process of evacuation, the Iraqi side has come up with great support and assistance, on which the Chinese side has been grateful," Qin said.

He said the Chinese Embassy in Iraq have maintained close contact with the Iraqi side to ensure the evacuation of Chinese people safely and orderly.

"We will continue to closely watch the development of situation in Iraq and promptly adopt corresponding measures to fully ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and enterprises in the country," Qin said.

He said the Chinese government is paying high attention to the safety of Chinese workers and companies in Iraq.

There are about 10,000 Chinese workers in Iraq. Most of them are now in areas where the security situation is under control, according to Qin.