BEIJING- More than 3,000 Chinese citizens in Ukraine have been safely relocated to neighbouring countries, a foreign ministry spokesman told a media briefing on Thursday.

Unlike many countries, China did not tell its roughly 6,000 citizens in Ukraine to leave in the days leading up to last Thursday's invasion by Russia, announcing evacuation plans soon after it had begun.

"What I want to tell everyone is that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of Chinese nationals in Ukraine, and is concerned at all times about whether they are in safety or danger," spokesman Wang Wenbin told the daily briefing.

He thanked countries neighbouring Ukraine that allowed Chinese people in and to stay there temporarily. He did not identify any country. (Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Tony Munroe and Jacqueline Wong)