Foreign and Military Affairs

China to send aircraft to get nationals in Libya

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-02-23 17:29

BEIJING - China will send chartered aircraft to bring back Chinese citizens stranded in Libya, an official with the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Related readings:  Chinese embassy ready to help compatriots in Libya  China vows to protect citizens in Libya  UN Security Council to meet on Libya on Tuesday  Protests in Libya reach the capital, dozens dead

Carrying a joint task group of officials from various ministries, the first chartered aircraft, an Air China Airbus A330, is expected to take off Wednesday with food, medicines and other necessities, he said.

Since the unrest erupted in Libya on Feb 16, people had been attacked and there had been vandalism, looting and arson, and Chinese firms had been attacked and Chinese nationals injured, sources with the ministry said earlier.

A construction site run by Huafeng Construction Co, Ltd, based in Zhejiang Province, was reportedly looted by an armed group Sunday in the eastern city of Agedabia, and almost 1,000 Chinese workers were forced out of their on-site living quarters.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the situation and has instructed the Chinese Embassy in Libya to take every necessary measure to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals and organizations in Libya," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu at a regular news briefing on Tuesday.