The second flight chartered by the Chinese government to evacuate its nationals from Libya arrives in Beijing, capital of China, February 25, 2011. A total of 227 Chinese boarded the plane. Photo:Xinhua

China has made great efforts to evacuate its nationals from Libya over the past few days. The evacuees have been flown back to China or transferred to neighboring countries.

12,000 CHINESE NATIONALS EVACUATED

According to a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released Friday, about 12,000 Chinese nationals have been evacuated, as of early Friday morning. The number is likely to increase as more flights, and other modes of transport, were sent to expand the evacuation efforts.

Early on Friday, 451 Chinese citizens were flown back to Beijing from Cairo, Egypt, in two separate chartered government planes. Before the flights, 83 other Chinese nationals flew to Beijing or Shanghai from the northern Egyptian port of Alexandria. They arrived on two commercial flights on Thursday.

Also, more than 4,300 Chinese citizens had been evacuated on two large passenger liners, rented by the Chinese government, which arrived at the Greek Island of Crete from Libya.

"These evacuees have successfully boarded ships at the port of Benghazi and are waiting (for the ships) to set sail," said the statement.

The statement also mentioned that about 3,000 other Chinese citizens in Tunisia and Egypt would take the land routes and head home after finishing customs procedures in border checkpoints in the two countries.

Tens of thousands of Chinese nationals had been working or living in Libya when the unrest erupted last week. Most of the nationals were employees of Chinese companies with businesses in the country.

FOREIGN ASSISTANCE

Seven ships departed from Greece for Libya to help Chinese nationals in one of China's largest-ever evacuation efforts of nationals from abroad.

According to the Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs, Islands and Fisheries, Ioannis Diamantidis, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou demanded full assistance from the country's ministries once Greece received notification from the Chinese government.

"I contacted ship companies. Despite the possible danger and uncertainties, these companies responded positively," Diamantidis said during his visit to China, adding that it was an "unforgettable experience" and a "special achievement" to participate in the evacuation assistance.

According to the minister, more than 10,000 Chinese nationals in Libya are scheduled to take ships sent by Greece to return home via Crete.

HOME IS BEST

After the arrival of the first chartered flight that carried more than 200 evacuees from Libya to Beijing, citizens started their journey home.

At the airport in the provincial capital of Wuhan in Hubei Province, families and friends on Friday morning were anxious while waiting for the arrival of the flight from Beijing. Five people on the flight were evacuated from Libya.

Chen Quandi, a mother of a 25-year-old woman who worked as an interpreter in Libya for a construction company, did not take her hands off her eyebrows until she saw her daughter. "She's a tough girl. She always said in her online messages that it's safe there to ease our anxiety," Chen said.

According to the commercial department of the province, there were more than 7,400 people from the local companies working in Libya, and one-third among them are local residents.

Guo Qilin, general manager of Changjiang Geotechnical Engineering Corporation, was also waiting. "We sent more than 2,000 workers to Libya, and they will all come home in days," Guo said.

"East or west, home is best," said Yang Weijuan, Chen's daughter.

"I miss the guys in Libya, and hope they will come home soon and hope things will turn better there," she said.