A total of 146 Chinese citizens and five foreign family members safely arrived in Beijing in the early hours of Wednesday on a chartered Air China flight, following their evacuation from Lebanon.
The operation was coordinated by the Chinese government to ensure the safe return of its nationals amid escalating tensions in the region.
All the Chinese citizens who expressed a desire to leave Lebanon have been successfully relocated.
One returnee shared his relief upon his arrival at the homeland. "The moment we set foot on our homeland, we were truly incredibly happy. We know we are safe now," he said.
Another said the evacuation was well organized.
"From gathering us to sending us to the airport, every detail showed that the embassy staff assisted each one of us. It was very orderly," he said.
Among the 146 evacuees, 137 were employees of Chinese-funded enterprises in Lebanon, while nine were overseas Chinese living there, including one resident of Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong resident evacuated from Lebanon expressed her gratitude to the motherland.
"I'm from Hong Kong, and I'm grateful to the motherland for arranging the chartered flight to bring us home. The war is merciless, but our nation cares about us," she said.
"To date, China has arranged two groups of a total of 215 Chinese citizens evacuated from Lebanon safe by ship or chartered flights, respectively. Among them are three Hong Kong residents and one Taiwan compatriot," said Zhang Yang, Deputy Director of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Chinese Embassy in Lebanon remains on duty in the country, continuing to guide and assist Chinese nationals still in the area to take safety measures. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy in Lebanon have once again reminded Chinese citizens to closely monitor the local situation and to refrain from traveling to Lebanon in the near future.
146 Chinese arrive in Beijing safely following evacuation from Lebanon
146 Chinese arrive in Beijing safely following evacuation from Lebanon
146 Chinese arrive in Beijing safely following evacuation from Lebanon
A new round of trade-in subsidy program is energizing China's consumer market these days, with provinces across the country seeing a surge in demand for cars, home appliances and digital devices.
In north China's Shanxi Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, which started on January 9, has further helped boost sales in home appliances and digital devices which are covered by the new round of subsidies.
To enjoy the subsidies, six types of home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines, must meet national Level 1 energy-efficiency or water-efficiency standards. Digital and smart products include four types, such as mobile phones and tablets, with a sales price cap of 6,000 yuan (about 800 U.S. dollars) per item.
In both categories, subsidies are set at 15 percent of the final transaction price. For home appliances, the maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per item. For digital products, the cap is 500 yuan per item. Each consumer can receive a subsidy for one unit in each category.
Neighboring Shanxi, Hebei Province kicked off the year of 2026 with the new round of trade-in subsidy program starting on January 1.
The subsidies cover automobiles, home appliances, and digital products. Individual consumers who purchase designated Level 1 energy-efficiency appliances or eligible digital products priced at no more than 6,000 yuan can receive subsidies equal to 15 percent of the transaction price. The maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per appliance and 500 yuan per digital or smart device, with each person limited to one subsidized item in each category.
Data showed that from Jan 1 to 9, Hebei's home appliance trade-in program alone disbursed more than 130 million yuan in subsidies, driving sales of over 920 million yuan.
In east China's Jiangsu Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, taking effect for two weeks, has brought the province a boom in trade-in.
At a local 4S store in Jiangsu's Suqian City, showroom traffic has spiked as salespeople walked customers through the new benefits from the trade-in subsidy program.
"Under the scrappage-and-replacement scheme, customers who buy a new energy vehicle (NEV) can receive a subsidy worth 12 percent of the vehicle price, capped at 20,000 yuan (about 2,860 U.S. dollars). For combustion-engine cars, the subsidy is 10 percent, with an upper limit of 15,000 yuan. For trade-ins, NEVs are able to receive a subsidy worth 8 percent of the vehicle price, up to 15,000 yuan, while combustion-engine cars will receive a 6-percent subsidy, with a cap of 13,000 yuan," said Sun Yue, a saleswoman at the store.
In the home appliance sector, Jiangsu's policy this year stipulates that only products that meet China's Level 1 energy-efficiency standard are eligible for subsidies. The scheme covers six major categories, including refrigerators and washing machines.
Consumers who purchase qualifying appliances can receive a subsidy equal to 15 percent of the final retail price, up to a maximum of 1,500 yuan per item. Each person is limited to one subsidized unit per product category.
Four types of digital and smart products, such as mobile phones and tablets, are eligible for a 15-percent subsidy capped at 500 yuan per unit, with a retail price no more than 6,000 yuan.
"With the national subsidy policy back in place this year, I went to the store to check what discounts I could get. It knocked 500 yuan off the price. [The discounted price is] very reasonable," said Wang Kang, a resident of Jiangsu's Xuzhou Province.
To enhance the shopping experience for consumers, many retailers are pairing subsidies with "one-stop" services that combine the delivery of new products with on-site collection of old ones.
"After consumers place an order for new home appliances, our staff will schedule a time to pick up the old units. Recycling the old appliance can also further offset the purchase price of the new one," said Yang Jie, a sales supervisor at a major home appliance company.
China's new trade-in program sparks consumption boom
