SINGAPORE, April 9 (Xinhua) — Sherin Fathimah Syed Abdul Ravoof, a Singaporean woman who has evacuated from Yemen with her four children via Chinese frigate Linyi, told Xinhua by phone that they are really grateful for boarding the Chinese vessel.

“If we can’t get on the ship, we can’t get out of Yemen,” said Sherin Syed.

… Associate Professor Li Mingjiang, at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, told Xinhua that the evacuation of foreign citizens out of Yemen with Chinese frigate Linyi is a significant move for both China and the world.

The evacuation shows China’s commitment and capability to help citizens in war-torn areas. The evacuation helps China to win trust in international community, which also contribute to shaping the image of a responsible country.

Li also mentioned that the scale of foreign citizens who were rescued via the Chinese vessel is relatively small, but this is the first time that China helped foreign nationals with its own frigate, which marks China’s endeavor to safeguard the security of overseas Chinese as well as foreign citizens.