In the early hours of 2 March 2026 a second convoy of 58 Chinese citizens—including two Hong Kong residents—crossed Iran’s Astara border into Azerbaijan and were met by coaches arranged by the local Overseas Chinese Association before flying onward to China. The operation, confirmed by association head Bao Lijun and reported by the Global Times, brings the total number of evacuees since tensions escalated in Iran to more than 3,000. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters the ministry had opened four land corridors and deployed mobile consular teams to border posts in Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Armenia. Chinese missions are issuing temporary travel documents on-site and coordinating visa-on-arrival waivers with neighbouring governments so that exit formalities do not strand citizens without onward tickets.
![China Organises Over-Land Evacuation From Iran; 58 More Nationals Reach Baku Safely]()
For travellers and companies that suddenly need documentation or alternative entry permits, VisaHQ can step in quickly, streamlining China-related applications, providing rush processing and live guidance on shifting requirements—see https://www.visahq.com/china/ for up-to-date support.
The swift coordination highlights Beijing’s increasingly sophisticated crisis-mobility playbook developed after Ukraine and Israel evacuations. HR teams with staff in high-risk regions should register employees on the 12308 consular protection app and pre-plan surface exit routes that avoid closed airspace. Insurance providers also remind companies to check that war-risk endorsements cover non-scheduled land movements. Azerbaijan’s State Migration Service has granted Chinese evacuees a 15-day visa-free humanitarian stay, while Azerbaijan Airlines is operating special fares from Baku to Urumqi and Xi’an. Logistics firms moving equipment out of Iran are, however, facing cargo backlogs at the Astara rail terminal; alternative routing via Bandar Abbas maritime links to China remains unaffected.
For travellers and companies that suddenly need documentation or alternative entry permits, VisaHQ can step in quickly, streamlining China-related applications, providing rush processing and live guidance on shifting requirements—see https://www.visahq.com/china/ for up-to-date support.
The swift coordination highlights Beijing’s increasingly sophisticated crisis-mobility playbook developed after Ukraine and Israel evacuations. HR teams with staff in high-risk regions should register employees on the 12308 consular protection app and pre-plan surface exit routes that avoid closed airspace. Insurance providers also remind companies to check that war-risk endorsements cover non-scheduled land movements. Azerbaijan’s State Migration Service has granted Chinese evacuees a 15-day visa-free humanitarian stay, while Azerbaijan Airlines is operating special fares from Baku to Urumqi and Xi’an. Logistics firms moving equipment out of Iran are, however, facing cargo backlogs at the Astara rail terminal; alternative routing via Bandar Abbas maritime links to China remains unaffected.
