Wang Yi: motherland always stands by overseas Chinese

Chinese state councilor and foreign minister Wang Yi said in Beijing on Tuesday that overseas Chinese are always on the mind of the motherland. "overseas compatriots may be in a foreign country, but the motherland will always be behind you," he said.

On the same day, the third session of the 13th National People's Congress held a press conference. Wang yi answered questions from Chinese and foreign journalists on China's foreign policy and foreign relations.

China News Agency asked Wang Yi at the scene: since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Chinese foreign ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have done a lot of work to help solve the difficulties faced by Chinese compatriots overseas. Can you talk about your experience and feelings in this regard?

Wang Yi responded that since the outbreak of the epidemic, overseas Chinese have always been in the heart of the motherland. General secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the need to effectively protect the safety and health of overseas Chinese. The ministry of foreign affairs and all Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have taken urgent action, mobilized the whole world and made every effort to convey the care and love of the party and the country to every Chinese overseas, and launched an unprecedented special consular protection campaign around the world.

Wang Yi said that the ministry's 12308 consular protection hotline operates 24 hours a day and received more than 200,000 calls in March and April alone, an average of 3,600 calls a day. We attach great importance to every call, keeping records of everything and dealing with everything, so as to unblock the green channel for overseas Chinese citizens to ask for help. "At the beginning of the epidemic, we sent chartered planes to bring back Chinese citizens stranded overseas. After the outbreak was severe overseas, temporary flights were arranged to bring back our compatriots who had real difficulties."

Wang Yi stressed that diplomacy for the people is our unswerving purpose. During these special months, every diplomatic envoy and staff member of the Chinese embassy and consulate stationed abroad has been dedicated to their posts with a high sense of responsibility, despite the risk of infection and willing to make sacrifices. "Our overseas compatriots may be in a foreign country, but the motherland will always be behind you and our diplomatic and consular missions abroad will always be with you."