Source: Global Times
[Global Times, Zhao Si'an, Xing Xiaojing] "We are willing to continue to use actions to tell every overseas compatriot that no matter what time and where you are, you have us by your side, and behind you is the motherland!" At the press conference of this year's two sessions, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked about the evacuation of Chinese citizens from Ukraine. Since the sharp escalation of tensions in Ukraine, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has quickly activated the emergency mechanism for consular protection, organized the safety and safety of compatriots in Ukraine, especially Chinese students studying in Ukraine, and seized the window of time in the crisis to urgently organize, guide and coordinate the evacuation of Chinese citizens. This is another major evacuation operation of Chinese citizens in the history of the Republic, and it has distinct characteristics. On the afternoon of March 9, local time, as the last batch of Chinese students evacuated from Samui, Ukraine arrived at the Lviv Railway Station in the western Ukrainian city, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong announced that the task of evacuating Chinese compatriots from Ukraine was a complete success! On March 20, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong, in an exclusive video interview with a Global Times reporter, disclosed to the media for the first time the "five most" set by the embassy's evacuation operation: "the most complex environment", "the most dangerous situation", "the most difficult to evacuate", "the most worrying and worrying evacuation group", and "the largest number of embassies and consulates involved in the evacuation operation". He also stressed that the times often need "beautiful retrogrades", which is the sentiment and unshirkable responsibility and mission that Chinese Communists and Chinese diplomats should have.
Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong
Global Times: On the afternoon of March 9, local time, the last batch of Chinese students evacuated from Samui, Ukraine, arrived at the Lviv Railway Station in the western Ukrainian city, and raised five-star red flags and eye-catching banners on the spot. At that time, you officially announced that the task of evacuating Chinese compatriots from Ukraine was a complete success! How did you feel at the time?
Fan Xianrong: Looking back now, I am still "full of emotion" and want to cry. At that time, the mood was really complicated, and it can be said that it was a mixture of feelings. First, as the ambassador of the Republic, I was very happy to see my classmates return safely. I know that the students' journey is "too difficult", and they really have to take all kinds of risks, even life and death tests. Samui city is not large, but there were more than 100 Chinese students at that time, compared to other Chinese compatriots who have been evacuated, this group of students are in a much more dangerous situation, because the city is already under siege, there are Russian and Ukrainian armies on the outskirts of the city, the line of fire, blockade line, even if you can find the bus, you can not freely enter and exit. The embassy maintained close communication with the Ukrainian side, and after arduous consultations with all parties, the bus was finally found and the consent of all parties was obtained, and it was possible to withdraw. There is still a nearly 30-hour drive from Sumy to Lviv, and while much has been done to keep students safe, some of the risks are difficult to predict. From the moment my classmates set out, my heart hung in the air until they arrived safely.
Originally, I thought that the children had suffered a lot along the way, and they might be poorly dressed, and their hair would be messy and messy. But unexpectedly, they were in good spirits one by one, which made me particularly excited. I see the unique qualities and spiritual outlook of Chinese young people in the new era. I held out my hands to shake hands with my classmates and hug them, and I really wanted to cry!
On March 9, the last group of Chinese students from Samui arrived at lviv railway station with the ambassador
The evacuation of the last batch of Chinese students from Samui marked the successful task of evacuating Chinese compatriots from Ukraine. As the concrete executor of the whole operation, I have mixed feelings. In the embassy in Ukraine, I am the oldest, the most experienced, and the most experienced, but I have never experienced such a complicated and tense situation in my life. The war is changing rapidly, yesterday's road may not be feasible today, and many other situations are changing rapidly, at this time, it is really necessary for us to give full play to the positive actions and hard work spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping, exert good subjective initiative, we must make decisions quickly, judge accurately, act decisively and quickly, we must not hesitate in the slightest, can not "wait, want", frankly speaking, this is a great challenge to us, but also a huge pressure.
Because things change quickly, time may involve life. So, we are racing against time, against life, and we are not "sleepless tonight", but "sleepless night"! What touched me was that the comrades of the embassy transformed this intense and intense work into the responsibility and motivation to fulfill their mission, and everyone united to jointly complete the "evacuation operation" of Chinese citizens from Ukraine.
I can't help but recall the classic picture at lviv railway station that day: all the comrades of the embassy and international students spontaneously shouted out loudly to express their excitement: Long live China! Long live the Chinese people! Long live the Communist Party of China! I told them that at this moment, everyone must have all kinds of emotions, and finally they all converged into one sentence, that is, "Only China is good in the world!" Only the Chinese Communist Party is good in the world! ”
On the evening of March 8, the last batch of 115 Chinese students trapped in the war in Sumy, Ukraine, successfully boarded a special train to the western Lviv and headed for a safe area.
Global Times: How did the overall plan to coordinate the evacuation of Chinese citizens come out? Can you give us a panoramic overview?
Fan Xianrong: There are more than 6,000 Chinese citizens in Ukraine, and in addition to the more than 1,000 people who evacuated on their own, the Embassy and the Consulate General in Odessa worked closely together and worked together to organize, guide and coordinate the evacuation of more than 5,000 people. In such a tense and critical situation in Ukraine, all but one person was injured. As the saying goes, "bullets don't have long eyes", and it is really a miracle to be able to achieve an immortality.
Initially, we looked at a number of evacuation options. For example, the charter flight is withdrawn, according to China's current strength, charter flights are of course no problem. However, under the circumstances at that time, there were no conditions for safe flight, and the consequences of the aircraft in case of problems in the air would be unimaginable. We have also thought about a plan for evacuation at sea, but that will require a transit, a need to concentrate all the personnel in Odessa, and the key is that it takes a lot of time to find the right vessel, and the more you wait, the less safe it is. In the end, only one option remained, an overland evacuation. We decided to organize the evacuation of all Chinese compatriots in Ukraine to the west, evacuate to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and other countries via the western front, and then arrange temporary flights back to China. Through the joint efforts of the museums and the love of compatriots, the "evacuation operation" was a complete success.
Global Times: What valuable experience have we accumulated in coordinating the evacuation of Chinese citizens?
Fan Xianrong: Compared with previous evacuation operations, this operation has set a record of "five most": "the environment is the most complex", "the situation is the most dangerous", "the evacuation is the most difficult", "the evacuation group is the most worrying and heart-wrenching", "the number of embassies and consulates involved in the evacuation operation is the largest".
Ukraine covers an area of more than 600,000 square kilometers, and the distribution points of our students and overseas Chinese in Ukraine are wide-ranging and numerous, and it is very difficult to implement the evacuation plan from the western front. Moreover, among the more than 6,000 Chinese compatriots in Ukraine, in addition to Chinese-funded enterprise personnel and overseas Chinese, there are 2,700 international students, who are actually our children. Letting them withdraw in a large-scale military operation is very worrying and worrying.
Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core and the specific deployment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a total of 10 embassies and consulates have been coordinated, including embassies in 8 countries and 2 consulates-general, and the embassies and consulates have united and cooperated with each other and gone all out to send fresh lives back to the motherland in a relay manner, which is actually a manifestation of China's strength.
From this action, we have gained some enlightenment: First, the concern and instructions of the Party Central Committee are the political premise and guarantee for us to do all our work well, otherwise everything would be impossible. From beginning to end, the central authorities have paid close attention to this evacuation and instructed us to go all out. Second, the Foreign Ministry's strong deployment is the key to doing a good job. Third, the embassies and consulates in the front must take the initiative to take responsibility, go all out, and have a high degree of political standing and sense of responsibility. Fourth, it is also very important to give full play to the initiative and enthusiasm of the vast number of compatriots stationed in the host countries, and to make good use of the Overseas Students' Association, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Overseas Chinese Association. They once again interpreted with practical actions the fine tradition of unity and struggle, mutual help and mutual assistance, and helping the needy and the needy, even if there is only one loaf of bread, it must be distributed to compatriots.
Global Times: Many Chinese citizens have left Ukraine through other means, such as driving to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and other countries in the western part of Ukraine that border Ukraine. In order to help these Chinese citizens clear customs smoothly, what kind of communication has the embassy had with the relevant countries?
Fan Xianrong: It is indeed impossible to complete this evacuation task without the assistance of relevant countries. The first is the Ukrainian side, which opens green channels, provides buses, and opens special trains. For example, to coordinate the evacuation of Chinese citizens from Samui, I contacted the Ukrainian vice premier more than 300 times. The Russian side is also ensuring the safety of Chinese citizens during the evacuation. There is also the assistance of countries bordering Ukraine. For example, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and other countries implement a temporary visa-free policy for those who leave the country from Uzbekistan with valid passports.
Some citizens' documents are lost, embassies are too late to produce certificates, and relevant countries even allow electronic versions to be shown on mobile phones, showing a friendly attitude, which is "impossible" in ordinary times. This kind of "special affairs office" just shows that without China's growing international influence, without the good diplomatic relations laid down in peacetime, and without the stable bilateral relations established with the countries concerned, it would be impossible to satisfactorily interpret the wonderful "chorus" of the evacuation of Chinese citizens in Ukraine.
GLOBAL TIMES: We learned that a staff member of the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine escorted 88 students on a bus to Moldova when they encountered three bomb explosions less than an hour after the bus. What other moments do you and the embassy staff have against death? What are some unforgettable experiences during this time?
Fan Xianrong: Every moment is "thrilling". The story you mentioned looks like a movie scene, but it's a real thing, and there's a sequel. When the diplomat escorted the students back to the trip, because the driver was too tired, the car fell into the ditch, fortunately did not overturn, otherwise the consequences were unimaginable. On another occasion, while inspecting a venue on the ground, our diplomats were suddenly pointed at the head with a gun, but the danger was finally eliminated.
If we say that the moment of passing by the god of death, the street may explode at any time, the air defense alarm may sound at any time, and every escort we give to the students must pass the test of danger and life and death... But the times need "beautiful retrogrades", which is the unshirkable responsibility and mission of our communists and diplomats, and we have no remorse for this.
Global Times: In the tense situation, the video of the five-star red flag flying high at the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine made countless compatriots cry, and the scene where the embassy staff arranged the deployment and coordination of the evacuation of Chinese citizens day and night in the basement made the compatriots in Ukraine feel deeply at ease. How do you work and live in the small space of the basement?
Fan Xianrong: Although the situation is suddenly tense, the embassy will protect the compatriots in Ukraine as the first priority, and want to evacuate them to a safe place as soon as possible, but the usual working environment and work order have been completely disrupted. When the alarm sounded from time to time, the explosions became closer and denser, and we had to move to the basement.
The basement is actually some aisles and warehouses, the space is small, everyone is crowded in it to work, there is not enough space, and the corridor is crowded with people. From time to time, there was a cold wind in the crack of the door, and everyone insisted on it, and when they were sleepy, they found a place to rest inside. However, everyone is full of thoughts about how to do a good job, and they do not feel hard.
There are dozens of staff members and family members of the entire embassy, and all of them are in unison, and it is precisely because we have a team that is politically proficient, excellent in business, and especially capable of fighting, especially able to endure hardships, and especially able to dedicate, which has ensured the successful completion of the evacuation of overseas Chinese.
At 5:41 a.m. on March 5, the first temporary flight returning Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrived safely in Hangzhou.
For example, when to notify where to take the bus to depart, everyone is divided into more than 100 phone numbers, one by one to call the notification. Tell one to draw a tick, and once it does not work, it will be hit a second time until it is opened.
GLOBAL TIMES: During the evacuation process, do you have an impressive story or details to share?
Fan Xianrong: There is a young diplomat in our museum, a young man born in 1997. Since about 5 a.m. on February 24, when the first bomb exploded, the consular phone has not stopped for a moment, nor has he rested for a moment. The mobile phone is out of power plugged in the charging cable to continue to connect, the entire mobile phone "hot", has been working until more than 10 o'clock at night, answered more than 1,000 calls, the voice has long been mute, and finally can not speak.
Another point I would like to say is that without the mutual self-help and warming of many Chinese compatriots, this evacuation work would not have been a complete success. There is a saying that "there is no regret in this life into China", when you go abroad, everyone has a name, they are all Chinese, and they should help each other.
As far as I know, this time in Ukraine, people with cars will take the initiative to find four or five people to carpool. Many compatriots evacuated to neighboring countries and were placed in the homes of local student union and chamber of commerce personnel. It can be said that it is precisely such a small story that has converged into a big story of the successful evacuation of Chinese compatriots.
Global Times: Letter from Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong to All Chinese Compatriots in Ukraine was released on February 27, can you tell us about the background of the letter and the feedback you received after its release?
Fan Xianrong: The situation in Ukraine is unexpected, and if you do not understand the situation, it is easy to cause panic and may have emotional problems. Moreover, the false rumor that "Ambassador Fan has run away" has made the compatriots who do not know the truth even more afraid, and if they blindly evacuate, the situation will be very dangerous. After comprehensive consideration, the Embassy believes that it is necessary to clarify the false rumors at the first time, appease the public's emotions, and also give confidence to the compatriots. Tell them that the embassy is nearby and the motherland is behind them. Considering that there are still many students among the Chinese compatriots in Ukraine, the embassy must also remind them of precautions in critical situations.
Originally, it was planned to write only one letter, but in order to let everyone see the current status of the ambassador and to make everyone feel like talking to the ambassador, the video and text were finally selected to launch at the same time. Tell everyone that the Chinese Communists and the Chinese ambassador will never abandon the people and will never run away first.
GLOBAL TIMES: You are diplomats, but you are also parents and children. The safety of the embassy staff also affects the hearts of the family of the motherland, how do you comfort the family? What is the emotional state of the comrades in the embassy? What psychological construction has been done?
Fan Xianrong: This question reflects the concern of our compatriots in China for us diplomats who are sticking to the frontline. We have multiple identities, both as diplomats of the motherland and as pillars of our respective small families. We don't want to let our families have too much to worry about, but as the old saying goes, "since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety are difficult to be complete", and when it is impossible to take care of the overall plan, it is natural to put the completion of diplomatic missions in the first place.
My nearly 80-year-old father lives in his hometown of Chongqing, has no culture in his life, and when he sees Ukraine fighting on TV, he is also anxious. All I could do was tell him, "It's safe here" to reassure him. But in fact, every morning in Lviv, where we are located, we sound the air defense siren, and as soon as the alarm sounds, we must immediately take shelter. My wife and children naturally think of me in every way, and I have to ask many times a day. But there is no way but to do the work well first. Everyone's situation is the same, we will try to protect ourselves while performing our duties, such as wearing a bulletproof vest and wearing a helmet. The wife's concern for her husband, the child's concern for her father, the old man's concern for her children... This concern from our relatives at home actually gives us a kind of "spiritual support and strength."
Global Times: Could you please introduce the focus of the embassy's next work and arrangements for deployment?
Fan Xianrong: Although the coordinated evacuation of Chinese citizens has been successfully concluded, our task as diplomats is not over, and we must remain in Ukraine to continue to perform our duties. At present, the moment is like a "big test", we will do our best to deal with relevant matters and submit a satisfactory answer sheet to the party and the people.