Chinese in Russia get full assistance

The Chinese embassy in Moscow maintains close contacts with its 160,000 citizens in the country, and will provide all necessary help to them, Beijing's ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said on Wednesday.

Speaking to Chinese media, Zhang dismissed reports about Chinese citizens being detained by Russian police and immigration authorities due to visa issues.

He said the embassy was told by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday that there were no Chinese being detained by Russian law enforcement authorities.

"There is lots of fake news on the internet. So the embassy hopes people get information from official channels, rather than listening to rumors," said the ambassador.

Meanwhile, the port in Suifenhe city in China's Heilongjiang province was temporarily closed on Tuesday as authorities said the increasing numbers of arrivals were beyond the port's ability to handle.

So, the Chinese consulate in the Russian city of Vladivostok, the capital of the Primorsky region which borders Heilongjiang, urged Chinese nationals not to return home through the port city.

"We urged all Chinese in Russia not to try to return from the Far East region," said Zhang, pointing to the risks posed by the logistical challenges, as the pandemic continues around the world.