Chinese nationals evacuated safely

More than 4,600 Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine have safely returned to China following the arrival of the final special flight in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Monday, marking the temporary end of the country's evacuation work, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Since the Chinese government sent the first chartered flight on March 4 to Bucharest, capital of Romania, a total of 20 have been organized to bring back Chinese nationals evacuated from Ukraine after the situation there deteriorated.

"During the whole evacuation process, over 5,200 Chinese citizens were safely evacuated to Ukraine's neighboring countries. All of those citizens who voluntarily left Ukraine have been safely evacuated, except for one individual who got injured while driving," Wang said.

Wang added that as the Chinese government worked on the relocation and evacuation of Chinese nationals, the government and various sectors in Ukraine showed goodwill and provided assistance.

Countries including Russia, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Belarus also provided valuable support, he said.

"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those governments and peoples," he said.

While the evacuation has basically come to an end, the spokesman stressed that the work of protecting the safety and legitimate interests of Chinese nationals overseas never stops.

"With concrete steps, we will show every one of our compatriots overseas that we stand with you at all times, wherever you may be, you have us behind you, behind you is the motherland," Wang added.

Speaking on the Ukraine issue, the spokesman reiterated China's position that sanctions are never an effective means to resolve problems, noting that more than 140 of the 190 members of the United Nations are not participating in sanctions against Russia.

He added that normal trade contacts between Russia and other countries, including China, have suffered unnecessary damage due to sanctions imposed on Russia.

"We urge the United States to seriously take into consideration China's concerns when dealing with the Ukraine issue and US-Russia relations, and to refrain from undermining China's legitimate interests in any form," he said, adding that China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the lawful rights of Chinese companies and individuals.