A mother and her daughter are welcomed by a crew member after boarding the People's Liberation Army Navy vessel CNS Weishan Lake at Port Sudan on April 26. DING JIAXING/XINHUA
For those who have not experienced a war or lived in a country caught in a civil war, it might be difficult to understand the saying "the longest road in the world is the road back home". With the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, a Chinese passport stands as a guarantee for a Chinese citizen to be evacuated from the country by the Chinese government at any cost.
After the armed conflict broke out in Sudan, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and armed forces, Chinese embassies and consulates, and Chinese enterprises have spared no effort in protecting Chinese citizens there and made arrangements for their evacuation from the country.
China has dispatched missile destroyer Nanning and supply ship Weishan Lake to evacuate Chinese citizens from Sudan, highlighting the Communist Party of China's governing philosophy of putting people first. Also, Chinese diplomats have stayed behind in Sudan to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens.
China first used the armed forces to evacuate Chinese citizens from a foreign country during the Libyan crisis in 2011. The armed forces evacuated more than 30,000 Chinese citizens from the war-torn country.
In the Yemeni evacuation in 2015, a naval fleet was deployed to evacuate more than 600 Chinese citizens. With an increasing number of Chinese citizens and enterprises going global, Chinese citizens working in some foreign countries face various risks, both natural and man-made.
However, in times of crisis, the Party and the Chinese government always put people's lives first and take measures to ensure Chinese citizens are safe.
Each evacuation operation is unique, because every country is different in terms of geography and socio-political conditions. However, what remains unchanged is the protection China provides for its citizens. All Chinese citizens evacuated from a foreign country have said that on seeing the five-star red flag fluttering on the evacuation ship or bus, they have felt a sense of relief and pride.
The evacuation from Sudan once again confirms that in the wake of disasters and wars, a Chinese passport can bring you back home from anywhere in the world.
As of the end of last month, the Chinese navy has completed evacuating Chinese people from Sudan, with 940 Chinese citizens departing from the area, according to the Defense Ministry.
At the request of some countries, China also evacuated 231 foreign residents together with Chinese nationals.
