During the turmoil in Libya in 2011, criminals took advantage of the fire to loot and put the lives and property of foreigners at risk. While South Korea is deterred by high costs, and the United States is still calculating the cost of evacuation, China is showing its responsibility as a great power.
Just the day after the outbreak, China quickly launched a first-level national response and decisively implemented an emergency evacuation operation. At the time of Libya's isolation, China miraculously brought back more than 30,000 nationals and 2,100 foreigners in just 12 days.
The speed of the evacuation of overseas Chinese has set four "global records", shocking the world and demonstrating China's strength.
In 2011, Western capital predators targeted Libya's abundant oil and acted at the right time in a vain attempt to take a share of the turmoil. This kind of greedy method seems to go back to the old drama of a hundred years ago.
In the midst of the chaos, the hand of crime has quietly reached out to foreign companies, and the huge construction projects involving Chinese engineers totaling tens of billions of dollars have been severely tested in the turmoil.
The security situation in Libya has deteriorated sharply, and the safety of life and property of Chinese companies has been seriously threatened.
The chaos after the police left, like a wild wolf attack, a group of ruffians ** armed into the shelter of Chinese nationals, although not directly to the civilians**, but their arrogant behavior has deeply damaged our overseas compatriots.
Mr. Wang, a design engineer, spoke of the scene with grief and indignation, describing the camp as a battlefield, with broken walls, thieves rampant, people armed with self-defense tools at night, and interpreters escorting single women to safety.
The diary chronicles the translator's terrifying journey, with the threat of AK47 looming every day, the shadow of the pistol looming from time to time, and the indescribable fear and exhaustion behind his tenacity.
In the face of the plight of our compatriots, China has responded decisively and taken action at the national level to push forward the Libyan evacuation plan at full speed.
In an unprecedented move, China has set four astonishing global records. The sudden crisis has forced us to mobilize civilian aircraft and foreign transport, and the evacuation of our citizens abroad is fraught with challenges.
The instantaneous severance of communication has plunged many compatriots abroad into despair, as if they have seen the limits of life in a foreign land. As the situation in Libya took a turn for the worse and almost every corner was loomed in danger, China** resolutely repatriated all Chinese airline pilots who were tasked with rescuing their compatriots.
At this moment, every soul who cares for the safety of their compatriots is bravely stepping forward and rushing to the danger zone, because they have a firm belief - to bring their compatriots home unharmed.
On the evening of February 22, the first evacuation flight commanded by Ji Xueyong took off from the airport, and the plane was full of daily necessities such as water and bread, bringing the initial care and warmth to the compatriots in a foreign land.
In the face of the dilemma of the port blockade, China resolutely launched a large cruise ship and Air China aircraft to jointly operate, promising to quickly pick up every stranded compatriot. However, the geographical distance limited our speed, and we had to reach out to neighboring countries.
Fortunately, in the midst of many hesitant glances, Greece showed the splendor of humanity, lent"Greek spirit"No. with"Olympiad Champion"together, sailing to Benghazi, Libya, to escort our compatriots.
With firm determination and all-round deployment, the navy, land and air force have joined hands to protect the evacuation of overseas compatriots. Seeing the solid guarantee of the motherland, the anxious people were steadfast in their hearts, and walked to the ship with their bags in a neat and orderly manner, although the dark clouds gradually gathered on the horizon.
In the face of possible wind and rain, Zhang Chenjue, an order maintainer from China COSCO Shipping Group, used a humorous sentence to resolve the tension, "After the rain of bullets, do you still care about these few drops of rain?" ”
His playful response drew laughter, and the tension was much lighter.
11:20 p.m"Greek spirit"The ship was loaded with compatriots who had returned to their hearts and sailed smoothly, the hatch slowly closed, and sailed towards the embrace of the motherland. Subsequently, the two giant ships that returned to the voyage set off one after another, and the singing in the cabin was enthusiastic and passionate, expressing endless gratitude to the homeland with the national anthem.
In the light of the coast, our team is ready to go, and the port and airport are well stocked, and the steaming hometown dishes are just to welcome the heroic return of relatives.
It was an unprecedented large-scale evacuation operation with land, sea and air coordination: 91 flights, 35 special planes, 5 cargo ships, plus 4 IL-76s and 4 military aircraft, together with the escorting Chinese fleet, quickly assembled in Libya.
In just three days, China has successfully brought back nearly 10,000 employees and 3,000 compatriots, demonstrating its strong mobilization and national feelings.
At a time of global crisis, other countries** seem to be weighing the pros and cons, with South Korea hesitating due to the high cost of rescue and Canada stalling rescue operations due to risk considerations.
Although the United States sent planes, it used money transactions as a condition for the rescue, and the almost naked way of collecting money was shocking. In contrast, our country has shown a noble humanitarian spirit, and when our compatriots from other countries are anxiously waiting, our ships are receiving with open arms, and the Greek sailors are determined to maintain order.
The South Koreans who failed to board our ships were left in dismay, and their complaints may have been an indictment of the slow rescue efforts in their own country. China has always adhered to humanistic care and is a model in international assistance.
In our team, foreign colleagues were also sheltered in time, and in just three days, more than 900 foreign employees were safely evacuated with our team.
A stranded Taiwanese American chose to take a Chinese flight with a Chinese colleague to leave the chaotic area, his heart is his homeland, his ancestral home is Henan, and he expressed his desire to return to the motherland and contribute.
Regardless of their positions, all overseas employees, including Vietnamese laborers, boarded our ships and embarked on the road back to their homeland. In this evacuation, we have pioneered the strategy of relocating people to a third country and returning home, demonstrating our global responsibility and strength, and becoming the third"The world's largest evacuation operation"。
Faced with the geographical gap between China and Libya, we resolutely sought the assistance of our neighboring partners. Greece, Malta and Tunisia, in the spirit of humanity, Malta urgently optimized the entry process for Chinese citizens and went all out to provide convenience; Greece opens the doors of Crete.
When China needs to evacuate people, Tunisia takes the initiative to open its borders, only set up exclusive channels for Chinese, clearly demarcate the border, and treat them differently. In the face of foreigners who tried to fish in troubled waters, the words of the Tunisian staff were resounding: "Chinese citizens are accepted by the state, and you are seeking asylum, how can you be compared?" ”
The confidence brought by this strength has made the country's posture on the global stage more upright.
At each of the transit points, our professional teams are on standby, carrying plenty of bread and drinking water to ensure that our compatriots can relieve their hunger as soon as they disembark.
Then, a luxury bus waits for them, escorting them to our country carefully"Escrow"Enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine and a warm and comfortable accommodation environment.
When everything was settled, we returned them safely to the arms of the motherland. Witnessing this scene, the international community was amazed by China's swift and orderly evacuation of overseas Chinese. However, the volatile situation in Libya during the evacuation has brought some challenges, but our determination and efficiency cannot be underestimated.
After 10 days of turmoil, hundreds of Chinese are still stranded in Libya, and the loss of their passports has put them in a difficult situation. The team of our embassy worked hard to produce more than 1,000 emergency documents day and night, and pioneered the use of single-page citizen travel documents, demonstrating an efficient evacuation operation.
However, this is still insufficient in the face of the needs of many compatriots. As a result, an innovative solution was born - with the Chinese national anthem as evidence, the feelings of the motherland in the song became the key to customs clearance.
In just 12 days, 35,860 compatriots and 2,100 foreigners were safely evacuated, and China's power has attracted global attention. Stepping on the land of the motherland, the compatriots did not rush to share the adventure story, but affectionately kissed the land under their feet and thanked the motherland for its protection.
Although a Chinese passport cannot take you everywhere, it can bring you back to a warm home from any crisis. This is the belief engraved behind it: "The Chinese passport, although small, can protect you home." ”
Since 1960, China has consistently stepped forward whenever its compatriots are in danger. In 2006, during the Solomon Islands riots, China decisively chartered a plane to bring back 310 compatriots; In the same year of turmoil in Tonga, we did our best to facilitate the return of 193 expatriates to their homes.
In the face of the raging war in Chad, our country evacuated more than 300 overseas Chinese and staff. In 2016, the South Island of New Zealand**, the Chinese Consulate acted quickly to charter all direct flights *** 125 Chinese tourists were safely evacuated in the predicament of Kaiku City, at that moment, the world's eyes were focused, and the Chinese rescue *** made the people of other countries envious, they waited for their own rescue at the same time, Chinese tourists have been embraced by the motherland.
As the words in "Wolf Warrior 2": "No matter where you are, Chinese citizens, behind you is the protection of a powerful motherland, don't forget your own Chinese power!" ”
Today's China is no longer the lamb that was bullied by its predecessor a hundred years ago, and in just a few decades, its national strength has become like a butterfly, winning the awe of the Western powers and no longer being scorned at will.
However, we must bear in mind that peace is not a fluke, but the result of countless brave men. Only by remembering history and being prepared for danger in times of peace can we forge ahead and create a more brilliant future.