The huge air, sea and land operation staged by Beijing in the past week has dominated state media coverage of the unrest in the North African state which has left hundreds dead and sent thousands of foreigners fleeing the country.

The government "did very well -- in three to four days, they got most of the people out," Richard Hu, associate professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong, told AFP.

"The government wants to show they really care. This is important for both the domestic and international audience to show that they care about the people. This is how you get legitimacy of government."

China had 847,000 workers scattered around the world at the end of 2010 -- 69,000 more than in 2009 -- with about 30 percent employed in the construction industry, according to official figures.

Other migrants are working in trade, mining, agricultural and hospitality sectors, mostly in Asia and Africa.

In Libya, most of the more than 30,000 Chinese expatriates were working in the railway, telecom and oil sectors as well as hospitals, said Hu.

As the popular uprising against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi escalated, China has used chartered and military planes, ships, buses and -- for the first time, according to state media -- a naval frigate in the evacuation effort.

"This does not sit easily with the mantra of not interfering in other countries' affairs, but the government cannot stand back if citizens are in danger," said Mark Williams, a London-based analyst at Capital Economics.

Chinese expatriates fleeing the strife-torn country told state-run television they had feared for their lives and were relieved to be going home.

Xing Yinsheng, who worked for Chinese construction company Huafeng, said he and hundreds of colleagues had fled to the desert after robbers stormed their compound in the eastern city of Ajdabiyah.

"We have 900 people, including women and children. The purpose for us walking through the desert was to survive, to protect our lives by abandoning our wealth," Xing said.

Another unidentified worker transported by ship to Malta said he felt safe once he saw the Chinese flag.

"We had a sense of security, we kind of felt at home," he said.

The rescue effort was lauded in state media as evidence of the nation's growing might, and China Central Television has shown footage of smiling evacuees during its regular news bulletins all week.

The Global Times said this week that the evacuation showed "the improved ability of the Chinese government to react swiftly to emergencies", adding that "the stronger China is, the more responsibilities it will have".

Wei Jianhua, captain of the Chinese missile frigate Xuzhou, was quoted by the China Daily telling evacuees: "The strong and prosperous motherland is together with you when you are in hardship."

While the violence in Libya has highlighted the risks for foreign workers in unstable countries, the prospect of higher wages and a better life would ensure more Chinese citizens continued to take jobs overseas, experts said.

"Normally the workers get higher pay if they work overseas. That is the main attraction for them," said Ren Xianfang, an analyst at IHS Global Insight.

Chinese companies are increasingly investing overseas, particularly in resource-rich regions such as Africa, Central Asia and Latin America, as Beijing seeks access to raw materials needed to fuel its fast-growing economy.

But this investment has geopolitical consequences and raises issues in developing countries where Chinese nationals are seen as stealing jobs from locals, experts said.

"While China has actively nurtured its political partnerships across the world, it has not been able to turn public attitudes in its favour," said Jonathan Holslag of the Brussels Institute of Contemporary Chinese Studies.

Chinese citizens were "more frequently falling prey to violence while working abroad" as anti-Chinese sentiment builds, Holslag said in a report.

The Libyan evacuation however showed Beijing was "well equipped" to get its people out of trouble spots quickly, said Ren.

Other experts said the rescue operation was helped by the fact that most of the Chinese workers were employed by state-owned companies with massive resources such as China National Petroleum Corp.

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