"Civil Aviation Administration of China （CAAC）will not suspend flights and the Chinese government will continue to make all-out efforts to bring home Chinese citizens stranded abroad," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying during an online press conference on Thursday.
Hua said since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Chinese government has attached great importance to the safety and health of the Chinese people and foreign nationals in China, and has adopted the most stringent and comprehensive prevention and control measures. Many measures are even higher than the requirements and recommendations of WHO and International Health Regulations, she added.
At present, the safety, health and life of foreign nationals in China are guaranteed. In addition, CAAC authorities have also adopted a variety of effective measures to ensure the safety and health of passengers taking international flights and minimize the spread of the epidemic through aircraft, she said.
She urged all parties to refrain from overreacting and respond to the epidemic and China's prevention and control measures in a calm, rational and objective manner.
As many as 223 Chinese travelers stranded in Japan were flown back to China, February 5, 2020. /CMG Photo
On Wednesday, a total of 223 Chinese travelers from central China's Hubei Province, who were stranded in Japan, were flown back to Wuhan City.
The Air China flight CA081 carrying 223 Chinese passengers and 2.5 tons of donations and epidemic prevention supplies took off from Japan's Kansai International Airport in Osaka and landed in Wuhan Tianhe International Airport around 6:30 p.m.
On the same day, 147 Chinese travelers stranded in Singapore were also flown back to China.
As of Thursday, charter flights have brought over 1,500 people back home to Hubei Province from overseas.