People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by an air strike near Sanaa Airport March 26, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

The Chinese government launched preparatory work for the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Yemen, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday at the Boao Forum for Asia in China's southern Hainan province, according to media report.

Wang said that there are more than 500 Chinese nationals in Yemen and the Chinese government launched the evacuation plan Thursday evening, when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched airstrikes in Yemen. The evacuation will help ensure Chinese nationals come back to China safely.

Violence has been spreading across the country on the Arabian Peninsula since last year, when Iranian-backed Houthi militia seized the capital, Sanaa. They effectively removed Yemeni President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who seeks to return from the southern port city of Aden.