Photo: Gong Han

In response to a question raised by the Global Times that last year, China safely evacuated more than 10,000 compatriots from abroad. This year, after the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict, China immediately adopted a series of consular protection measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions on the ground, and swiftly organized evacuation operations. With more and more Chinese citizens traveling abroad, how will the Chinese Foreign Ministry better protect their legitimate rights and interests overseas, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said on Friday during a press conference on preparations for the V-Day commemorations that wherever Chinese citizens go, consular protection will follow; whenever compatriots call for help, we will respond.

The safety of our compatriots overseas is the country's deepest concern, and serving the people is the mission we always keep in mind, Ma said.

Since the beginning of this year, we have safely evacuated thousands of compatriots from conflict zones, properly handled tens of thousands of consular cases, answered around 300,000 calls for assistance and inquiries, and issued more than 2,000 safety alerts, according to Ma.

Many compatriots have expressed that in times of crisis, the motherland is never absent — no matter how long the journey home, the motherland will always bring its people back. As exchanges between China and the world expand and China's overseas interests grow, the responsibilities of diplomacy for the people are becoming ever greater. We will continue to meet the needs and expectations of the people, working to build a "safe overseas China" system, Ma said.

We will give full play to institutional strengths, further improve the overseas security framework, and establish a more coordinated, pragmatic, and efficient security mechanism. We will enhance our ability to monitor overseas security risks, refine the red-orange-yellow-blue risk alert rating system, and issue timely advisories to ensure that safety signals are clear and effective, the senior official noted.

We will continue to build a professional consular protection team, working with dedication, empathy, and determination to safeguard overseas compatriots and institutions. Serving the people is our unshakable mission. Diplomacy for the people is an ongoing commitment, never a finished task. Chinese diplomacy will remain people-centered, being a close companion to our citizens, and a steadfast guardian of the safety and interests of Chinese people overseas, Ma said.

"No matter where you are, the motherland will always be behind you," Ma said.