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1st LD-Writethru: China to do everything to provide consular protection: FM

Xinhua, March 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The government will do everything to provide consular protection despite the enormous strain brought by the growing outbound visits and limited resources, tools and capacities, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.

Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of China's top legislature.

Wang said the 12308 consular protection hotline received over 100,000 phone calls last year and the Foreign Ministry helped 166 missions overseas handle 15,000 consular cases, with the successful rescue of 55 Chinese abducted abroad.

Wang told the press that China has reached arrangements with another 18 countries to facilitate mutual traveling. Chinese citizens now can visit 54 countries and regions without a visa or by obtaining a visa upon arrival.

The foreign minister also said the best approach on consular protection is prevention beforehand rather than remedy afterwards. China wants to move the first line of consular protection to foreign areas to shorten the time and make work more efficient, said Wang. Endi