Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and external relations on the sidelines of the third session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua)

 
The telecom fraud zones in the northern regions of Myanmar near China's border have been completely cleared. China, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos are working together to carry out a concentrated crackdown on telecom fraud along the Thai-Myanmar border, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a conference on China's foreign policy and external relations on Friday on the sidelines of the third session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing. 

Our mission is to sever the black hand reaching toward the people and eliminate the cancer of online telecom fraud, Wang said. 

The Communist Party of China Central Committee is deeply concerned about overseas compatriots, and the safety and well-being of the people has always been our priority. In 2024, we successfully brought back over 10,000 Chinese nationals from high-risk areas such as Lebanon and Haiti, handled more than 50,000 consular protection cases, received over 500,000 calls to the 12308 consular protection hotline, and issued more than 5,000 overseas safety alerts, Wang noted. 

Online gambling and telecom fraud is a major concern for the public, and it is a priority that we will not let go. For some time, under the joint concern of leaders from China and neighboring countries, law enforcement and diplomatic departments have worked together in close coordination, effectively carried out cross-border cooperation, and made every effort to rescue stranded Chinese nationals, Wang said. 

In 2025, China will focus on establishing an international security cooperation platform to deepen security cooperation with countries, especially Belt and Road Initiative partner countries and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation countries, expanding the mutual assistance "circle of friends," Wang noted. 

Also, China will make full use of an overseas consular protection hotline, offering round-the-clock, real-time consultations and assistance, and improve a set of risk warning and emergency response coordination mechanisms to provide more efficient consular protection for overseas compatriots, offering the public greater peace of mind, the foreign minister stressed. 

Global Times