Regulation on consular protection unveiled

Strengthened rules to ensure lives and rights of nationals, businesses abroad welcomed

The latest regulation on consular protection and assistance will guarantee the protection of the lives and interests of Chinese citizens abroad at a time when an increasing number of residents and business are going global, senior officials and experts said.

The Regulation on Consular Affairs, unveiled by the State Council on July 14, clarified the responsibilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Council departments and Chinese diplomatic missions overseas in terms of offering consular protection.

It was released following the growing number of evacuations and cases of consular protection in recent years.

According to the Foreign Ministry, China has organized nearly 20 evacuations and has handled more than 500,000 cases of consular protection involving millions of nationals over the past 10 years. The 24-hour 12308 hotline for consular services has received over 3 million calls since its launch in 2014. Last year, the Foreign Ministry and China's overseas diplomatic missions handled around 70,000 cases of consular protection, and the hotline received 500,000 phone calls.

Deng Li, vice-minister of foreign affairs, told a news briefing on July 14 that the ministry will take steps to improve the consular protection abilities of diplomatic missions, while encouraging insurance companies, law firms and security companies to get involved in the protection of overseas citizens.

He said the ministry encourages citizens abroad, or those who plan to travel overseas, to register through the China Consular Affairs mobile app to secure better access to consular services.

Meanwhile, the ministry will keep close tabs on global security situations to ensure they can issue timely warnings, Deng added.

Xia Liping, professor of diplomacy at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, said that the increasing numbers of Chinese workers around the world are facing mounting security risks.

She cited figures showing that the number of consular protection and assistance cases has been increasing on a yearly basis, which makes the introduction of legislation in this regard even more urgent.

She said that one of the major highlights of the new regulation is that it makes clear that overseas diplomatic missions are the primary entities responsible for consular protection.

The regulation also listed circumstances in which Chinese citizens and businesses abroad suffer from infringements to their rights, and stipulated measures that diplomatic missions must take accordingly.

In one of the most recent operations, during which some 1,500 citizens were evacuated from the war in Sudan, different strategies were adopted, including the deployment of two naval ships that ferried 940 Chinese citizens and 231 non-Chinese nationals to safety.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, there were 46,000 Chinese businesses overseas at the end of last year in 190 countries and regions. The number of Chinese citizens now employed overseas exceeds 1.5 million.

Yao Wen, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, said that the increasing number of projects being implemented under the Belt and Road Initiative has spurred Chinese businesses and nationals to seek opportunities abroad, which has also led to the expansion of the country's interests overseas.

He explained that the complex global security landscape, and higher expectations for consular protection, have made work even more challenging for China's overseas diplomatic missions.

In Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries in the world, there are now around 3000 Chinese nationals and 600 businesses.

Yao said that challenges to consular protection are particularly notable this year, with domestic politics heating up as Bangladesh prepares to hold a general election in January next year.

"Our embassy has always taken guaranteeing the safety and property of Chinese businesses and nationals as its top priority," he said.

Another challenge embassies face is the variety of meticulous consular services they must provide. "We need to provide tourists with a safer travel experience, students with better educational conditions, businesspeople with more enabling business climates, and expatriate Chinese with more welcoming services," Yao said.

The ambassador said that while the new regulation will make expatriate Chinese more keenly aware that they are primarily responsible for their own safety, it also lays the foundations for improving the ability of diplomatic missions to serve their interests.

Going forward, Yao said the embassy in Bangladesh will continue to use the mechanisms in place with Bangladeshi authorities to help citizens with problems getting visas and facilitate business operations.

In order to provide more professional consular service, he highlighted the need to study local laws and regulations in greater depth, and to focus on the security interests of small-sized businesses in remote regions.

Shao Zheng, the charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in Yemen, said that he believes the new regulation will help make China's consular affairs more efficient and convenient in general, and help Chinese expatriates solve the problems that trouble them the most.

He said that the development of a sound legal foreign affairs framework remains the most important tool in ensuring the safety and interests of citizens and institutions abroad.

Consular affairs in Yemen have been particularly challenging since 2014, when a civil war broke out in the Arab country, leading to a major humanitarian crisis.

Shao said the embassy has been trying its best to offer consular protection and assistance through multiple channels, while repeatedly urging the Yemenis to protect Chinese facilities and personnel.

The embassy played an instrumental role in the evacuation of 962 Chinese and non-Chinese nationals from the war-torn country in 2015.

Shao said it demonstrated the importance of a strong motherland in protecting the safety and interests of its citizens abroad.

He also said that the operations in Yemen, which were the first times Chinese battleships docked in international harbors in the performance of this kind of mission, showed that the country's military vessels were its "Noah's Ark during times of crises overseas".

"It also highlighted the importance of developing regular, institutionalized mechanisms for consular protection assistance so that everybody works in close coordination during times of danger," he added.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn