China’s citizen protection tested during emergencies

By Wang Wenwen Source:Global Times Published: 2015-4-26 23:53:01

A powerful earthquake shook mountainous Nepal on Saturday near its capital Kathmandu, leading to at least 2,200 casualties and leveling buildings and centuries-old temples. A number of countries have lent a helping hand to this country for rescue and relief work and also strived hard to rescue their citizens stranded by this unexpected natural disaster. China is one of them.

As of 10 am Sunday, China's tourism authorities estimated that 683 Chinese tourists and about 50 tourist groups were stranded in Nepal.

Chinese arrivals to Nepal have doubled in the past few years. The number jumped to 89,509 in 2013, up from 46,360 in 2011, given two major factors as experts believe - China placing Nepal in the list of new leisure destinations and Nepal's low-budget tourism.

After Saturday's earthquake, Chinese airlines have dispatched chartered flights to pick up Chinese tourists upon the request of the Chinese embassy in Nepal. Some companies offered to reissue tourists their tickets for free. By Sunday evening, 239 people had successfully landed back in China.

Many passengers hailed the quick response of the Chinese airlines and praised the people-oriented approach of the Chinese government. However, criticism emerged still, saying China was exercising its superpower status to rescue its citizens. The Chinese government seems stranded in protecting its people overseas with its status as a rising global power.

For nationals who are stranded in a war zone or a natural disaster in a foreign country, it is their national governments who are responsible for protecting and assisting them by facilitating solutions.

Chinese enterprises' venture into volatile parts of the world and Chinese tourists' footprints across the world in recent years highlight the government's responsibilities. As a result of China's rise to a great power, the question of protecting its citizens overseas is increasingly challenging.

In 2012, a Chinese female tourist's cash and credit cards were stolen in Greece. She asked the local Chinese embassy for help but was reportedly refused. She eventually found help through social networks. Not surprisingly, when this story went viral online, many questioned the government's "superpower" status.

China is learning. In the past few years, it has successfully assisted its overseas citizens on several occasions. Last year, it pulled its nationals from Vietnam amid a wave of anti-Chinese riots. In March, it evacuated nearly 600 of its citizens from conflict-torn Yemen, showing the country's increasing ability to "extract its people from dangerous places," as an article in the New York Times said.

As the Chinese government tries to match its ability to ensure citizens' safety to its rising global clout, it also has to learn to meet public calls.



Posted in: Observer

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