China evacuating from Yemen, suspending anti-piracy patrols

March 30, 2015 05:57 pm | Updated 05:57 pm IST - BEIJING

China is evacuating its citizens from Yemen and suspending anti-piracy patrols in the area amid the growing violence in the Middle Eastern country.

Three Chinese navy ships were diverted to the port of Aden to rescue Chinese nationals caught in the conflict, state media reported on Monday, marking only the second time Chinese military assets have been used in such a mission. About 122 Chinese were evacuated from Yemen to Djibouti, and authorities were working to assist the more than 400 remaining Chinese, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

“The Chinese government is highly concerned over the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Yemen, and has taken immediate action to pull out Chinese citizens in an orderly fashion,” Ms. Hua said during a regularly scheduled news briefing.

In 2011, China took the unprecedented step of dispatching one of its most sophisticated warships and military transport aircraft to help in the evacuation of about 35,000 Chinese citizens amid Libya’s civil war.

No Chinese have been reported killed or injured in the fighting in Yemen that now threatens a potentially dangerous clash between U.S. - allied Arab states and Iran.

The official China Shipowners’ Association said on its website that it had been notified that China was temporarily halting its participation in multinational patrols in the Gulf of Aden aimed at countering Somali pirates.

The notice said it wasn’t clear when the patrols would resume, and Defense Ministry spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment.

China joined the patrols in December 2008 and has sent a total of 19 squadrons to maintain an unbroken presence in the area.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.