China steps up efforts to ensure safety of Chinese citizens in Iran, Israel

BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry and relevant embassies and consulates are working with other government agencies to do everything possible to keep Chinese nationals in Iran and Israel safe and swiftly organize their evacuation, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked whether China has plans to evacuate its citizens from Iran and Israel amid escalating military tensions following Israel's strikes on Iran.

Keeping Chinese nationals safe abroad is an absolute priority for the government, Guo said, noting that after the outbreak of the Israel-Iran conflict, the Chinese foreign ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates in both countries immediately activated the consular emergency response mechanism, and asked both countries to effectively ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions.

"Some Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated to neighboring countries," the spokesperson said.