Wei Wei, Director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs, handed out a blue brochure to a Chinese air traveler on the morning of August 21.

"Here's a copy of the Guide to China's Consular Protection and Services Overseas," he said. "I hope it's helpful to you. Bon voyage!" The first 50,000 copies were offered free of charge that day to outbound Chinese travelers at the capital airport in Beijing. The following is a summary of the newly revised brochure:

The Beneficiaries and Responsibilities of Consular Protection

Chinese citizens, overseas Chinese residing in foreign countries and Chinese traveling abroad on a temporary basis, residents on the Chinese mainland and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, are all entitled to consular protection.

The Chinese Government does not recognize dual nationalities. Chinese citizens automatically lose their Chinese nationality once they voluntarily acquire a foreign nationality, and thus no longer enjoy consular protection provided by Chinese diplomatic or consular missions overseas.

Chinese citizens traveling to foreign countries should abide by international law and the laws of their host countries. When the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens including those who have violated local laws are infringed upon, Chinese diplomatic or consular missions abroad are obligated to offer consular protection within the limits of international law and local laws.

Services Offered by Consular Officials

If Chinese citizens file lawsuits or seek medical aid while abroad, they can ask consular officials to recommend lawyers, interpreters and doctors.

If major emergencies occur in their host countries, they can ask consular officials to help evacuate them from dangerous areas.

If they are detained, arrested or serving a prison sentence, they can ask consular officials to visit them.

If an accident happens to them, they can ask consular officials to help inform their families about the accident or their injury.

If they find themselves financially strained, they can ask consular officials to contact their families to get timely financial support.

If they lose contact with relatives or friends, they can ask consular officials to help locate ones that have gone missing or have not been heard from for a long time.

Consular officials issue, replace and reissue travel documents and make endorsements to individual records on the travel documents for Chinese citizens overseas in accordance with relevant Chinese laws and regulations. They also issue travel documents or home-return certificates for Chinese citizens who have lost their travel documents or have no ID documents.

Consular officials provide notary and authentication services for Chinese citizens in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of China. They also handle registration of marriages between Chinese citizens provided that they do not contravene the host country's laws and regulations. However, they may not directly authenticate notary certificates produced by notary offices in China or notarize certificates or documents issued by domestic organizations.

Services Not Offered by Consular Officials
Consular officials may not:
Apply for visas for Chinese citizens; 
Find jobs or obtain residence or work permits for Chinese citizens in foreign countries;
Intervene in the judicial or administrative affairs of foreign countries;
Arbitrate or settle economic, labor and other civil disputes between Chinese citizens and others;
File lawsuits on behalf of Chinese citizens;
Get treatment for Chinese citizens better than what is provided to local people when they are in hospital, in detention or in prison. 
Pay for hotel accommodation, lawyers, interpreters, medical and air/sea/land travel expenses, or any other expenses for Chinese citizens;
Accommodate Chinese citizens on the premises of diplomatic or consular missions or take care of their belongings; or 
Purchase duty-free commodities for Chinese citizens.
Instructions for Chinese Citizens Traveling Abroad
Respect local customs, observe local laws and regulations and bear traffic safety in mind, especially in countries that drive on the left. 
Observe the period of staying specified on your visa. Register with the Chinese embassy or consulate if you need to stay in a foreign country for a long time or stay in a volatile country so that they can contact you in case of emergencies.
Guard against theft, fraud, blackmail, robbery and attack. Don't allow strangers into your residence. Warn your children not to tell strangers that their parents are not at home. Don't take valuables or a large amount of cash with you when you go out. Don't leave a large amount of cash where you are staying. Don't put valuables in conspicuous places in your car. If your tire goes flat, you must lock the doors of your car before having it repaired. Don't put important items such as documents, wallets and passports in plastic bags easily broken by an edge tool. Don't take a taxi in a dark place. Don't give strangers a lift. Don't walk with strangers. Keep calm and maintain a low profile. Don't speak loudly in public places. Don't get involved in others' quarrels in public venues. Don't take what you find on the street as your own to avoid being blackmailed or framed. Do not change your money on the black market. If a policeman wants to check your passport or other documents, you should ask him to show his badge first and write down his police badge number and his car plate number. Don't pay fines to policemen on the spot; instead, you should ask for the fine ticket and pay your fine at the bank or other designated places.
Report to the local police in case of robbery, theft, fraud or attack and ask for a certificate, which you will need when going through procedures such as filing insurance claims and reapplying for ID documents.
Resolve the violations of your legitimate rights and interests in decent ways. Don't resort to illegal means such as bribery to avoid complicating the situation.

Always remember emergency telephone numbers for fire, police and ambulance service.

Take good care of yourself. Keep a healthy diet. Don't take food not well cooked or water not boiled except canned mineral water. Don't go to disease-affected areas, radioactive areas or gambling and pornographic venues.