New legislation proposed to protect overseas Chinese

BEIJING -- China's State Council proposed expediting legislation on the protection of the rights and interests of overseas Chinese in its report submitted to the country's top legislature for review.

A national law dedicated to the protection of the rights and interests of overseas Chinese has yet to be put into place, according to the report on the work related to Chinese nationals overseas, which is under deliberation at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

There are currently more than 60 million Chinese residing in nearly 200 countries and regions, according to the report.

Since 2015, 10 of the provincial-level regions across China, including Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai, and Hubei, have introduced respective regulations on the protection of overseas Chinese, gaining practical experience in promoting national legislation in this regard, the report noted.

Countries around the world, including Russia, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India have advanced legislation for their overseas nationals. This has played a positive role in promoting economic and social development in these countries, imports of overseas talent, and the inheritance of national culture, the report said.

These international practices have provided a useful reference for China to better protect overseas Chinese through legislation, according to the report.

China adopted the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Family Members of Overseas Chinese in 1990, which went through amendment in 2000.

Hailing the remarkable progress in the work related to overseas Chinese affairs over the past decade, the report said that China has encouraged overseas Chinese to participate in the country's exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and introduced measures to better serve them.

China has set up community-level platforms nationwide to provide better services for overseas Chinese, and established a legal advisory organization to assist overseas Chinese businessmen in resolving disputes, it added.

Efforts will be redoubled to strengthen the public service system for overseas Chinese, the State Council said in the report, adding that services for overseas Chinese will be brought into the national public service plan to ensure an inclusive and equitable access to public services among overseas Chinese, returned Chinese and relatives of overseas Chinese nationals living in China.