Over 10,000 Chinese citizens returned from Middle East amid war

Chinese authorities and airlines have assisted over 10,000 Chinese citizens in returning from the Middle East, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, after the war in the region forced airspace closures and grounded commercial flights.

Over 10,000 Chinese people have safely returned from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

China's foreign ministry and civil aviation administration have guided domestic airlines to increase capacity to repatriate Chinese citizens stranded in the Middle East, Guo said.

More than 3,000 Chinese citizens had been evacuated from Iran, the foreign ministry said last week.

The war in the Middle East, which broke out after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, led to flight cancellations across the region.

Major Chinese airlines, including Air China and China Southern Airlines, resumed flights earlier this month between some Chinese cities and Gulf hubs such as Riyadh and Dubai.

China has condemned the U.S. and Israeli strikes, repeatedly called for a ceasefire and sent an envoy to the Middle East for mediation. 

Reuters