BEIJING — 14 diplomatic officers previously based at the Chinese embassy in Yemen were back home in Beijing in the afternoon of April 9. Their arrival means that all Chinese governmental officials have now left Yemen. Other Chinese citizens evacuated from the crisis-hit Yemen will arrive in the capital Beijing in the following days.

After assisting nearly 600 Chinese nationals to evacuate Yemen, the remaining 14 Chinese diplomats left the country on April 6, and returned home after a 16-hour flight from Ethiopia.

“The embassy team has been united and effective when offering help. And the Chinese enterprises involved have firmly followed the direction of the embassy and the Chinese navy. So the whole evacuation process has been quite smooth,” said a man.

“We have gone through all sorts of hardships to leave Yemen and return to China. The Chinese embassy in Yemen, especially the ambassador, has done a lot to protect us and make sure that we can leave the country safely. Now I am home, and I feel safe,” a man said.

Since late March, hundreds of Chinese and foreign nationals in Yemen have been evacuated to safety, in a series of four rescue missions conducted by China.

As of now, all the 613 Chinese nationals who wished to leave Yemen have been evacuated.

China also assisted 15 countries to evacuate 279 citizens.

“The resolute decision-making of the central government has been vital for a smooth evacuation mission. Besides, the successful coordination between relevant government departments at home and abroad has also played an important role in the rescue mission. I am really grateful for the help from the central government; I want to thank them for their care of overseas Chinese citizens,” said Tian Qi, Chinese ambassador to Yemen.

The rescue mission has been unprecedented for China. It has demonstrated China’s constructive role in dealing with international humanitarian crisis. China calls for all parties to abide by international law and provide safety guarantees and support for countries to evacuate their nationals.