China in a fix to evacuate its stranded students from Ukraine

In a quandary over the delayed evacuation of its over 6,000 students in Ukraine, China is chalking out alternative arrangements, including operating chartered flights to shift them to safer locations amid growing anxiety over their safety following Russia's military operations in eastern Ukraine.

China was in a fix to evacuate the students and stranded nationals from Ukraine as its response came far later than that of the US, EU and Japan, which asked their citizens to leave Ukraine far earlier than Russia commenced its military offensive.

“Given the extremely unstable security situation of both the air and land transportation in Ukraine, we solemnly remind Chinese citizens there to closely follow the local situation, remain calm and take all necessary safety precautions to prevent the occurrence of accidents,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here on Monday. He said the situation in Ukraine is complex and changing. ''The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine are communicating with all parties, closely monitoring the developments, and making all feasible plans to help Chinese citizens in Ukraine leave the country on a voluntary basis and in a safe manner,” he said.

The embassy in Ukraine will continue to monitor and assess the security risks, coordinate with relevant sides, reach out to mobilise all useful resources, and help Chinese citizens in Ukraine relocate and evacuate under the precondition of ensuring their safety, he said.

An official of the Chinese embassy in Ukraine told state-run Global Times the mission is mulling alternative plans to evacuate local Chinese nationals amid the deteriorating situation in the country, and as long as safety premises are met, they will immediately take action and launch the evacuation plan.

In a video, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong has rejected rumours that he had left the country.

''Given the situation in Ukraine, the first thing we need to do is to assure our Chinese nationals and ease their anxiety,'' an embassy staffer told the Global Times.

The embassy said it is unable to organise evacuation charter flights for now as the safety of evacuees cannot be guaranteed.

There are strict controls on airspace as well as the danger posed by missile attacks and bombardments. However, they are considering alternatives, noting that as long as safety issues are met, they will immediately launch the evacuation plan, the embassy officials said.

Added to the concerns that Chinese nationals in Ukraine faced hostility from locals in view of China's support to Russia.

The situation in Ukraine has become more difficult with the constant sounds of sirens, explosions and gunfire, and there may be many unpredictable changes in the coming days, the Chinese ambassador to Ukraine said, reminding Chinese nationals to avoid confrontation with local people, or recording scenes out of curiosity, and to especially stay away from military-related personnel or facilities.

The Ukrainian people are going through a hard time, the envoy said.

''We should have more understanding toward them and show the friendliness and rationality that the Chinese people have always had,'' he said, adding that China respects Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and hopes the current crisis will be resolved through political negotiations.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)