More than 3,000 Chinese evacuated

The evacuation of Chinese citizens in Ukraine is underway in a safe and orderly manner, with more than 3,000 people having evacuated safely to neighboring countries, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Thursday.

China appreciates the efforts by these countries to facilitate its citizens' entry and short stay there, Wang told a daily news conference.

He reiterated that the Foreign Ministry is assessing the security risks in Ukraine with its local diplomatic missions, utilizing all resources available and studying all feasible plans for Chinese citizens to evacuate safely.

Wang also dismissed a New York Times report as being "purely false information".

Reuters quoted the report as saying that an intelligence report indicated senior Chinese officials had some level of knowledge about Russia's plans or intentions to conduct a military operation in Ukraine before it was launched last week.

"Such remarks to distract attention and deflect responsibility are very despicable," Wang said.

"It's clear how the Ukraine issue evolved to what it is today. Everybody knows clearly where the problem lies."

The spokesman cited a former US ambassador to the then Soviet Union, George Kennan, who warned against NATO expansion eastward, as well as a US expert on international relations and former US congresswoman who criticized the expansion.

"I hope those who started all this reflect upon the role they have played in the Ukraine crisis, fulfill their due responsibility and take concrete action to ease tensions and solve the problem, instead of shifting blame to others," Wang said.

Commenting on the US' decision days ago to expel 12 diplomats of the Russian mission to the United Nations for alleged espionage, Wang said China is concerned and hopes the United States will provide a detailed explanation for the move.

Being the host country of the UN, the US should facilitate diplomats from UN member states in performing their duties normally, instead of abusing its power and making unilateral decisions at its discretion.