Amid escalating military conflict between Israel and Iran, the evacuation arrangements for Chinese nationals in the area have sparked widespread controversy. Several overseas Chinese nationals have reported that the Chinese Consulate General in Israel exhibited slow response and service deficiencies during the crisis, and the evacuation arrangement was criticized as being “limited in time, self-funded, and only available for students,” starkly contrasting official propaganda.
On June 19th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated during a routine press conference that more than 1600 Chinese citizens had been safely evacuated from Iran through the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese embassies in Iran, Israel, and other countries. Hundreds were also evacuated from Israel, with a commitment to continue assisting Chinese citizens in safe relocation.
However, several Chinese nationals in Israel expressed on social media platforms that the Chinese Consulate General in Tel Aviv failed to provide substantial assistance in the evacuation efforts.
One of the nationals disclosed that when inquiring about evacuation matters via phone with the consulate, they were merely advised to follow official updates on WeChat, lacking specific guidance and effective assistance, prompting doubts among the nationals about the consulate’s indifference to the safety of overseas citizens.
On June 17th, after the Israel-Iran conflict entered its fifth day, the Chinese Consulate General in Israel finally issued evacuation notices, albeit with limited coverage. According to disclosures by nationals, in the early hours of June 18th, the consulate disseminated evacuation information through the student union to students, requiring responses within 30 minutes and form completion, setting the evacuation time for the following day.
Furthermore, the student union chairman specifically cautioned against sharing the message externally, indicating that this evacuation was solely targeted at the student community.
An enraged Chinese national working in Israel stated, “There are around 30,000 Chinese citizens in Israel, but there are fewer than 1,000 students. Why discriminate against us, who are also passport holders of China?”
Adding to the confusion, the evacuation organized by the consulate required nationals to bear the expenses themselves, with costs shared among evacuees. It was revealed that the consulate only arranged for vehicle rentals, while evacuees had to cover the costs and were instructed to remain calm in case of alarms during evacuation to avoid “affecting the country’s image.” A national questioned, “Do calm individuals even need evacuation?”
In contrast, the evacuation efforts of the Taiwan government in Israel received praise from Taiwanese nationals. Several Taiwanese netizens shared on social media that following the outbreak of conflict, the Taiwanese Representative Office in Israel promptly contacted Taiwanese nationals to confirm their safety status, arranged dedicated vehicles to assist in evacuation to the Jordanian border.
A Taiwanese netizen remarked, “Since the start of the conflict, the Taiwanese foreign personnel have continuously shown concern for us, even arranging dedicated vehicles to help us leave.” In comparison, Chinese acquaintances around mentioned that the Chinese embassy only suggested traveling to the Jordanian border independently, lacking practical assistance.
On June 18th, the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that since June 15th, three batches totaling 20 Taiwanese nationals had entered Jordan through the Israeli border, while another three Taiwanese nationals in Iran safely reached Turkey overland.
In numerous international conflicts in recent years, Chinese students have been deeply disappointed by the inadequate evacuation efforts of the Chinese authorities during crises. Whether in the Israel-Iran conflict, Russia-Ukraine conflict, or the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict, the inaction of the Chinese government regarding evacuations has raised broad doubts, with many students criticizing China’s “Wolf Warrior diplomacy” as being inconsistent with reality.
During the 2023 Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict, when countries like the United States, United Kingdom, India, and Australia swiftly initiated evacuation operations, with multiple countries arranging charter flights for their nationals, Chinese students found that the Chinese diplomatic system had not arranged any evacuation charter flights.
Information circulated in a group chat of 292 Chinese students displayed that after Chinese students raised evacuation demands with the Chinese Embassy’s Education Department, they were warned and even threatened by officials to keep silent. Some students bluntly stated, “Only after going abroad do we realize that ‘Wolf Warrior’ is the biggest lie.” Some students believe that the Chinese authorities failed to fulfill their duty to ensure the safety of overseas citizens during the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict.
Following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine initially announced the launch of charter flight evacuations but canceled the plan two days later due to “actual difficulties.” Although subsequently proclaiming the start of bus evacuations, several Chinese students in Ukraine revealed that the embassy could not provide substantial assistance, instead demanding students to “escape on their own” or “stockpile supplies for two weeks.”
A Chinese student in Kyiv repeatedly called the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine for help but was scolded and hung up on by staff. Despite the official Chinese claims of ensuring a “green light for Chinese evacuations,” the reality was that many Chinese students stranded in the conflict areas were forced to rescue themselves. In contrast, the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs successfully assisted 18 Taiwanese nationals in evacuating to Poland.
In recent years, despite self-proclaiming “Wolf Warrior diplomacy,” China has exhibited significant disparities between its performance and commitments in protecting overseas citizens. The successive evacuation controversies have prompted the younger generation of Chinese nationals to reevaluate the effectiveness of national responsibilities and diplomatic mechanisms, making the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda slogan of “diplomacy for the people” a subject of ridicule.