China Evacuates 122 Nationals From Yemen, Says Ministry

A total of 122 Chinese nationals were evacuated from conflict-wracked Yemen today, China's foreign ministry said, as the Arab coalition continued air strikes against Shiite rebels near Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition has vowed to keep up the raids until the rebels abandon their insurrection against President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who has fled to Riyadh.

A People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval detachment, which had been carrying out anti-piracy escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters, was sent to Yemen on Sunday to pull Chinese nationals from the country, China's defence ministry said in a statement.

The flotilla has two guided-missile frigates and a supply ship, the Global Times reported on Monday.

The 122 Chinese citizens have been evacuated to Djibouti and will return to their home country from there, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing.

Chinese diplomats will "try their best to arrange for the immediate evacuation of other people left in Yemen", she said.

Previous Chinese media reports quoted Tian Qi, Beijing's ambassador to Sanaa, as saying that there were a total of 590 Chinese citizens in the country.

China in 2011 evacuated more than 35,000 nationals from Libya during the unrest that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Last year, it moved more than 730 citizens out of the same country in light of the deteriorating security situation.