Taiwan compatriots stranded in Istanbul, Turkey, due to the evolving situation in the Middle East returns to the Taiwan island via transit in Shanghai in batches under the coordination of the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul. Photo: IC

Ninety-three Taiwan compatriots stranded in Istanbul, Turkey, due to the evolving situation in the Middle East have recently returned to the Taiwan island via transit in Shanghai in batches under the coordination of the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul. This marks the largest group of Taiwan compatriots returning to Taiwan via the Chinese mainland since the escalation of the Middle East situation at the end of February. The Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul revealed more details in an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Wednesday.

"The stranded Taiwan compatriots contacted us via the consular protection hotline on March 5 local time. They were part of three groups travelling to the Middle East organized by Taiwan's Luxury Holiday Travel Service. Originally, they planned to return to Taiwan via Abu Dhabi after finishing their trip in Istanbul. However, affected by the Middle East situation, many countries closed their airspace, and a large number of flights were cancelled, leaving them with no way to get home. They thus took the initiative to contact us, hoping to return to Taiwan via transit through the mainland," Sui Kaige, Director of the Consular and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul, told the Global Times. 

Upon receiving the call, the consulate general took immediate action and contacted the relevant departments in Turkey and China to coordinate all aspects of the entry and exit procedures for the Taiwan compatriots, Sui said.

The first step taken by the consulate general was to quickly verify the travel documents of the Taiwan compatriots. According to Sui, it was found that 25 of the 93 stranded Taiwan compatriots did not hold a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. The consulate general then coordinated with relevant departments including immigration and border control authorities and airlines, and collected and sorted out the information of the stranded Taiwan compatriots in advance and sent it to the mainland to facilitate the processing of their procedures. At the same time, the consulate general also coordinated with Istanbul Airport to ensure the smooth boarding of the Taiwan compatriots from Turkey.

According to Sui, the consulate general had completed all relevant coordination work on the very day it received the consular protection call on March 5 local time. In the end, the consulate general assisted 19 Taiwan compatriots to evacuate on Sunday and another 74 on Monday, bringing all 93 stranded Taiwan compatriots to safety. 

According to Sui, during the consulate general's two visits to the airport to communicate with stranded Taiwan compatriots, staff from the consulate general found that among them were elderly people and students. They had been stranded for about five days, having changed their booking at least four times, yet still had no hope of returning home, which greatly affected their emotions. 

"We went to the scene and told the Taiwan compatriots that the consulate general was doing its utmost to assist them with the necessary procedures and asked them to rest assured," Sui said. "After calming their nerves and easing their anxiety, we started chatting about daily life. Some of them said, 'The motherland is always there for us, no matter when,'" Sui told the Global Times.

The chairman of Taiwan's Luxury Holiday Travel Service specially sent a letter of thanks to the consulate general, Sui said.

The incident has continued to attract attention on social media. Some stranded Taiwan compatriots said that they "sought help from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan island but received no response or assistance", that the authorities were "totally ineffective" and that they were "extremely disappointed". Regarding the assistance provided by the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul, the stranded Taiwan compatriots said, "We are very grateful to our motherland."

"We are certainly delighted to see the Taiwan compatriots return safely," Sui told the Global Times. "As diplomats, my colleagues and I all share the same feeling when handling every case. In the process, we strive to consider every detail thoroughly and demonstrate our professionalism in all aspects of case handling. It is our bounden duty to provide consular protection and assistance to all Chinese nationals overseas, including compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan. This applies to all Chinese embassies and consulates," Sui said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference on Tuesday that for days running, the Foreign Ministry has been working closely with the Civil Aviation Administration to boost the flight capacity of domestic airlines to bring back Chinese passengers stranded in the Middle East. China's diplomatic and consular missions in the region have reached out to their host countries to obtain facilitation for Chinese carriers and have provided timely updates on security alerts and flight information, while looking after the stranded passengers. "Our embassies and consulates in the region will do everything possible to provide necessary assistance to Chinese nationals in need," Guo said.

At a press conference on March 4, Zhang Han, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that Taiwan compatriots are Chinese nationals. "We will, as always, take all necessary measures to protect the safety of all Chinese nationals, including Taiwan compatriots. If Taiwan compatriots need assistance, they can contact Chinese embassies and consulates in the local area at any time or dial the 12308 consular protection hotline. No matter where they are or what difficulties they may encounter, the motherland is a powerful backing for the vast number of Taiwan compatriots," Zhang said.