Ma Xiaojun, a professor at the Institute of International Strategic Studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, underscored the risks for Chinese economic presence in foreign countries. Most of the resource-rich countries in which China is carrying out a large number of economic programs suffer from political instability and social turmoil, he said. In some countries, violence and crimes against foreigners are rife. The harsh safety situation calls for intensified consular protection efforts, he said.

Foreign Ministry officials say the Consular Protection Center will render strong support for China's economic activity abroad. The center is duty bound to create a good environment for Chinese companies seeking an international presence.

In recent years, the ministry has concentrated its efforts on the following areas:

- Institutional coordination: The Foreign Ministry has established an "inter-ministry joint meeting mechanism" under its leadership to guide and coordinate the handling of major consular protection cases involving overseas Chinese citizens and businesses.

- Early warning: The Foreign Ministry publishes security, tourism, business and labor information for different countries via websites and other media outlets. It also follows and analyzes information concerning the safety of overseas Chinese citizens and businesses. It evaluates the security situations of different countries and regions and releases early warnings on the websites of the ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates in foreign countries.

- Emergency response: A consular protection emergency response mechanism has been put in place in related government departments and within the Foreign Ministry as well as in Chinese diplomatic missions abroad. The mechanism calls for establishing emergency response teams, formulating work plans, identifying contact schemes, ensuring unobstructed information flows, opening hotlines, collecting information from various sources and coordinating related departments at home and abroad in joint operations.

- Services: The Foreign Ministry regularly issues brochures on consular protection and assistance to publicize the basics that overseas Chinese citizens need to know to seek consular protection. At the same time, it tries to establish direct contacts with overseas Chinese citizens to provide them with timely consular protection and service when they need it.

- Consultation: Apart from conducting onsite visits, the Foreign Ministry urges related countries to adopt necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate regular rights of overseas Chinese citizens through bilateral consultations and by dispatching special envoys of the foreign minister or government working groups.

At present, China enjoys diplomatic relations with 169 countries. Some 2,000 diplomats and consular officials work in its more than 240 diplomatic missions in foreign countries. China has signed some 140 consular treaties and agreements on mutual exemptions of visas. Before the reform and opening-up started, China only had seven consulates abroad and three consular treaties with foreign countries.

As the number of Chinese citizens in foreign countries has yet to reach its peak, China has a long way to go to improve its consular services, said Pang Zhongying, a professor at the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China and currently a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The current diplomatic capacity and resources are insufficient to protect the growing Chinese private and public interests in foreign countries, Pang said. Protecting Chinese interests while maintaining good relations with other countries and upholding traditional principles such as non-interference in foreign countries' internal affairs is a historical task China faces, he said.

Case Studies - The Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 took the lives of 13 Chinese citizens-three from the mainland, seven from Hong Kong and three from Taiwan. Another 21, including three from the mainland and 18 from Hong Kong, went missing. The Foreign Ministry held several emergency meetings to discuss rescue solutions. The ministry's Department of Consular Affairs and the Chinese embassies in tsunami-affected countries initiated the emergency response mechanism to search for and rescue Chinese citizens, including compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The department also opened a round-the-clock hotline, helping hundreds of Chinese in tsunami-affected regions get in touch with their families. - When Hurricane Katrina hit the south central part of the United States in August 2005, Chinese expatriates in the region were left in grave danger. China's Consulate General in Houston launched a major search and rescue program. Consular officials found 257 Chinese citizens, including Hong Kongers and Taiwanese, and helped them reach their families. - In 2006, the Chinese Government helped more than 800 expatriates return home from the turmoil-plagued Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Lebanon and Tonga. - The Foreign Ministry also has resolved cases concerning the abductions of and attacks on Chinese citizens in Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Niger in recent years.