China has evacuated hundreds of its nationals from war-torn Yemen by Monday, demonstrating responsibility and care toward its citizens.

In the era of globalization, coupled with China's increasing presence worldwide, more Chinese nationals are living and working overseas.

Before the evacuation, there were about 620 Chinese living in Yemen, including a team of 58 medical professionals providing aid and hundreds of Chinese working there in such industries as oil drilling, road and bridge construction, telecommunication and fisheries, who had extended precious help and contributed to the development of the Middle East country despite growing violence.

However, the safety of the Chinese citizens in Yemen has affected the feelings of all Chinese at home, especially when fighting and air strikes are increasing across Yemen and dialogue remains distant.

Therefore, China temporarily halted its participation in multinational patrols in the Gulf of Aden aimed at countering Somali pirates, and directed its naval fleet to rescue the stranded Chinese nationals.

Government-led overseas evacuations have become a regular event as the present international situation remains tense and turbulent. China has launched a series of massive overseas evacuations of its citizens from countries including Libya, Vietnam, Iraq, and Egypt over the past few years.

In June 2010, a total of 1,299 Chinese nationals were airlifted from riot-hit Kyrgyzstan back to Urumqi in northwest China's Xinjiang region. In February 2011, the Chinese government chartered eight flights to Egypt and brought back a total of 1,848 Chinese, including those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as protests broke out in Egypt and the situation grew severe.

While protecting the safety of lives and property of Chinese nationals, China, advocating and implementing the humanitarian spirit, has also helped evacuate 2,100 people from 12 other countries from Libya when bloody unrest erupted there in February 2011, in its largest evacuation of overseas Chinese nationals since 1949.

China is unwilling to see heavy casualties in Yemen. It is hoped that all relevant parties in Yemen will strengthen solidarity and make joint efforts to realize national stability and development at an early date. The world looks forward to a stable Yemen and the Chinese people care about the situation and development of Yemen.

The author is a writer with the Xinhua News Agency. The article first appeared in Xinhua. [email protected]