China to improve overseas consular services for travelers, Wang says

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that China will take new measures in 2019 to offer better consular protection and assistance to Chinese citizens.

Wang made the remark at a news conference on the sidelines of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing.

One of the measures is that mobile payment will be available in overseas Chinese embassies and consulates to bring more convenience, he said.

Last year, the Foreign Ministry and its overseas embassies and consulates handled about 80,000 cases involving consular protection and assistance.

"It means that one case is dealt with every six minutes," Wang said.

The ministry is actively establishing a system to guarantee overseas security so that overseas trips by Chinese people will be safer and more convenient, he added.