Global Times:

Last year, China evacuated more than 10,000 compatriots from abroad. This year, right after the outbreak of the Israel-Iran conflict, China took a series of consular protection measures to effectively ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions there and quickly organized evacuation work. So, as more and more Chinese citizens go abroad, how will the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) better protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese citizens? Thank you.

Ma Zhaoxu:

The safety of overseas compatriots is the deepest concern of the motherland, and serving the people is the original mission we always keep in mind. The MFA resolutely implements the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee. The coordination of various parties continuously builds a "five-in-one" consular protection work pattern involving the citizens, enterprises, central government, local governments, and embassies and consulates abroad. We adhere to the principle of equal emphasis on prevention and response, making every effort to safeguard the safety of the life and wealth of Chinese citizens. Since the beginning of this year, we have safely evacuated thousands of compatriots from war-torn areas, properly handled tens of thousands of consular protection cases, answered about 300,000 calls for help and consultation, and issued over 2,000 warning reminders. Many compatriots have expressed, "In times of crisis, the motherland is never absent," and "Even if the journey home is thousands of miles, the motherland will bring us back home."

With the significant increase in the flow of people between China and foreign countries, as well as expanding overseas interests of China, the responsibility of serving the people through diplomacy has become greater. We will closely focus on the needs and expectations of the people and continue to build a system that ensures the safety of compatriots overseas.

We will leverage our institutional advantages, further improve the overseas security system and mechanism, and perfect the coordinated, pragmatic and efficient security work pattern.

We will continuously enhance our ability to perceive overseas security risks, optimize the "red, orange, yellow and blue" risk rating system, and promptly issue safety reminders, making the overseas safety "signal lights" more emphatic and effective.

We will strengthen the capacity building for emergency response to foreign-related security incidents, ensuring that wherever Chinese citizens go, consular protection follows, responding to all needs of our compatriots. 

We will continue to build a professional consular protection team, dedicated to safeguarding the safety of overseas compatriots and institutions with care and effort.

Serving the people is a firm mission. Diplomacy for the people is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Chinese diplomacy will continue to uphold the people-centered principle, acting as a caring friend of the people and a guardian of the safety and interests of overseas compatriots. No matter where you are, the motherland is always behind you. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you to Mr. Ma, and thanks to all the reporters for your participation. That concludes today's press conference. Goodbye, everyone.

Translated and edited by Zhang Jiaqi, You Jiaxin, Yan Xiaoqing, Liu Caiyi, Xiang Bin, Ma Yujia, Yang Chuanli, Gong Yingchun, Wang Qian, Wang Wei, Mi Xingang, Zhang Rui, Li Huiru, Liu Sitong, David Ball, Jay Birbeck and Tudor Bentley Finneran. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.