After 11 days of brutal invasion by Russia in Ukraine, China has stepped up its calls for Chinese citizens to flee Ukraine. This move has caused some to worry that this might mean increased violence in Ukraine.
The warning was announced this morning (March 7th). While the situations has been arguably getting worse, there is no evidence that this call means anything for certain. It is true that Russia might likely warn China earlier than nations more opposed to it, even though China has been a bit on the fence during the invasion.
This could just as likely be to get the last Chinese people in Ukraine out as most have already been evacuated. There have been evacuation flights by the Chinese government since March 5th. There will be more, likely until all willing citizens are out of the country.
This could also be the sign of increased violence by Russia in the near future. This could be due to recent reports of violent attacks that could amount to war crimes, if authenticated, including attacks on journalists and nuclear power plants.
There have been intermittent ceasefires recently, with both sides claiming the other broke them. No one can say for sure what will happen in the coming days, but with tensions likely to continue heating up as both sides grown more desperate, it is perhaps not surprising that China is trying to get their citizens out.