China not expected to start evacuating citizens from Israel unless fighting spreads to major cities

Beijing is only likely to act if violence spreads to the major cities in the north of the country where most Chinese nationals live, observers said

Some observers said a decision by Britain and the US to evacuate their citizens – having initially declined to do so – may be a warning sign

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Observers said China may decide to evacuate its citizens if attacks on northern Israeli cities intensify. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:09pm, 13 Oct 2023Updated: 12:58pm, 1 Nov 2023

China is unlikely to evacuate its citizens from Israel unless fighting spreads to the north of the country, where most Chinese people live, according to diplomatic observers.

Almost a week after the sudden attack by Hamas on Israeli territory, the Israeli military has called for the evacuation of more than a million civilians in northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive.

A number of countries announced plans to repatriate their citizens on Monday, with the United States and Britain announcing plans to bring their stranded nationals home on Thursday despite having initially declined to do so.

But Beijing so far has only said it will provide its “best assistance” to its nationals who want to leave Israel “if their safety is guaranteed”. It also expressed “deep concern” about the possibility of an extended conflict in its latest response on Friday.

Beijing is only likely to start evacuating its citizens if it sees “grave danger” for its nationals and if the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah joins the conflict and starts bombing northern and central Israel, according to Doron Ella, an assistant professor at the University of Haifa, who specialises in China’s foreign policy.

The US has reportedly warned the Lebanese group against escalating the conflict.

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