Chinese students in Israel given priority in evacuation: ambassador

The Chinese nationals being evacuated from Israel are mostly workers and corporate employees, with the over 200 Chinese students in the country given priority in evacuation, said Chinese Ambassador to Israel Xiao Junzheng on Friday.

In a video link interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Xiao talked about the situation in Tel Aviv, capital of Israel, and the efforts to evacuate Chinese nationals from Israel.

The embassy has urged Chinese firms to pull out non-essential staff, while Israeli project owners have been asked to provide secure shelters for those still on the ground, Xiao said.

"The majority of the Chinese nationals here are from Chinese-funded enterprises and labor service companies that have project cooperation with the local side. We have been guiding them to reduce non-essential personnel as much as possible and organize the evacuation as soon as possible," Xiao said.

The Chinese embassy to Israel has also arranged emergency support and evacuation for Chinese students in Israel.

"The 260 plus Chinese students studying in Israel are the key group in this evacuation. The missile attacks on the Weizmann Institute of Science created a nervous and anxious atmosphere among the Chinese students, and we visited them soon after the attack to offer our help," Xiao said.

In the exclusive interview, Xiao also expressed hope that once the conflict subsides, China and Israel can swiftly resume exchanges and cooperation across multiple sectors.

"Undoubtedly, the war will impact normal bilateral exchanges. Although China and Israel established diplomatic relations just 33 years ago, our historical ties date back over a millennium. Today, Israel stands as one of China's key partners in West Asia and North Africa. The two nations share an innovative comprehensive partnership, jointly oversee the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation, and maintain collaborative mechanisms across various sectors. We are confident that once the conflict ends, exchanges and cooperation in all fields will swiftly resume," he said.

Chinese students in Israel given priority in evacuation: ambassador

Chinese students in Israel given priority in evacuation: ambassador

Chinese students in Israel given priority in evacuation: ambassador

Chinese students in Israel given priority in evacuation: ambassador

The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.

On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.

"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.

Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.

US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar